Today, January 24, 2008, the ANRCTI President’s Decision no. 31/2008 on the procedure for the accreditation of the certification service providers entered into force, establishing the procedure of issuance, suspension and withdrawal of the accreditation decisions for the providers of electronic signature certification services, as well as the content, validity and effects of suspending or withdrawing the decision. The providers of electronic signature certification services issue digital certificates that authenticate electronic signatures.
According to the provisions of this decision, ANRCTI will assess the providers’ compliance with the accreditation conditions, following an audit conducted by a qualified auditor. The decision establishes the auditor qualification procedure, which is based on the conditions set out by ANRCTI. Upon reception of the qualification documents from the auditors, ANRCTI shall communicate the list of qualified auditors to the potential providers of certification services, who may choose a company in this list for conducting the required audit. The costs of the accreditation audit shall be born by the beneficiary provider.
This decision amends the procedure of accreditation for the certification service providers, following the entry into force, in May, 2007, of the Government Decision no.415/2007 on the approval of the Regulation for the organisation and functioning of the National Regulatory Authority for Communications and Information Technology, according to which ANRCTI shall accomplish the attributions of a regulatory and monitoring authority in the field of electronic signature, as provided by the Law no.455/2001 on the electronic signature, taking them over from the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.
The ANRCTI accreditation is not mandatory, being granted to the providers of electronic signature certification services upon request. The ANRCTI accreditation represents an additional certification of the fact that a provider guarantees the security of operations. An accredited provider of electronic signature certification services has the right to distinctly mention its capacity as an ANRCTI accredited provider.
Decision 31/2008 on the procedure for the accreditation of the certification service providers is available here.