Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates made the announcement along with the Minister of IT in Belgium, in front of an audience of government and IT officials on Monday.

The government of Belgium is engaged in a program to equip all citizens over age 12 with an e-ID card. According to the Mess.be site, the new e-ID card will replace traditional ID cards for 8 million Belgian citizens by December 31, 2009. Mess.be says the new e-ID cards will include photos, names, nationality, place and date of birth, a national ID number and a validity date, all of which will be stored electronically.

MSN to Support Electronic ID Card Technology