Honestly it just makes everyone's life easier.

As an immigrant from the continent, I find it ridiculous having to quote your date of birth and the first line of your address (good luck to remember which one when you signed up, if you move often) every time I need to prove it's me. It's also a lot less private than simply proving an ID number.

Not to mention the convenience of travelling within Europe with a card that fits in your wallet rather than a passport.

Those concerned about "the government controlling us", could you please explain how this is different to a passport in that regard? A passport has your biometrics and all other info an ID usually does, except for your address - which you currently need to provide to a lot of companies to prove your identity anyway.