I also wonder how this will be regarded in countries like Ireland, which doesn't have a national ID card and where a recent attempt to make a similar digital ID system mandatory was ruled unlawful (PSC/MyGovID).
But this suggestion ain't it. Most EU countries already have a de facto mandatory electronic ID for every resident.
What's your basis for this claim? From the declared strategy, it seems perfect for abuse as a surveillance tool.
> Most EU countries already have a de facto mandatory electronic ID for every resident.
As stated elsewhere, my country (Ireland) does not. It's attempt at a mandatory electronic ID (MyGovID/Public Services Card) was ruled as unlawful (it's still available, but cannot be required to access government services).
Strategy link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/euro...
So the situation will be better for us than today - there will be more options providing the ID (and wallets), including highly privacy-preserving tech based on modern encryption techniques. That will make it much harder to be tracked by commercial players and much harder to be tracked legally by governments.
For the blackhat / illegal security agencies: you might make it a little harder because the US-compromised companies (FAANG + MS) aren't (always) involved.
however, as an EU citizen, I can see immediate advantages to a cautiously administered digital id. as it is, many states within the EU demand a national tax id on registration for services as simple as bike rental, such a digital id would presumably supersede such nonsense and help further the single market everyone is working towards.