The government has been unofficially informed that the European Union has accepted its request for funding to introduce electronic ID cards and barring unexpected hitches, the new system should be in place before the next general elections, Infrastructure Minister Austin Gatt, who is also responsible for the public registry, said in parliament this evening.

Earlier this year, Dr Gatt explained that the validity of existing ID cards had been extended in order to allow more time for the launch of the nation-wide renewal of ID cards.

The minister said the electronic ID cards would mean greater security, not least because they would include more information on their owners, including fingerprints. The information would be stored on a chip in the card. Thus, it would be difficult to have a repetition of the recent case where an ID card was issued to the wrong person.

A ministry spokesman had also said that the ministry was working with De La Rue Ltd on a detailed implementation plan.