Sign contracts digitally - trust services and eIDAS tools in practice

The corona pandemic and its consequences reveal how important the digital processing of contracts is for the functioning of everyday processes. Remote work and the increase in collaborative work via long-distance communication and tools have become an integral part of the modern working world. And cross-border business transactions are also increasing - the simultaneous presence of contractual partners to sign documents is no longer the standard case. However, in various contexts, questions about the digital processing of orders, contracts and proofs arise again and again. The use of trust services and the use of various electronic signatures according to the eIDAS regulation fulfill an important function here.
The Bitkom Working group on the application of electronic trust services focuses on user practice around trust services. With this guide we want to make a contribution to the correct use of the services and in this article we have compiled the most important aspects and answers on the subject of digital signatures for practical use.