The European Commission on Thursday called on member states to cooperate more and increase investment in cyber defense at a time when security in Europe is affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and recent attacks on critical European infrastructure, such as the Nord Stream pipeline.
«The Russian war against Ukraine and cyber attacks against strategic parts of our infrastructure has to be a wake-up call for everyone. We must strengthen the ability to defend ourselves and our values,» said Commission Vice President Margrethe Vestager at a press conference where she presented Brussels’ proposal to increase cyber defense in the EU.
The proposal aims for the EU to strengthen its cooperation and investments in cyber defense to better protect, detect, deter and defend against the growing number of cyber attacks and emphasizes that civilian resources should be adapted and responsive to military needs. «The line between civilian and military is increasingly blurred, we can do more with what we already have,» said the Danish commissioner.
Specifically, the European executive calls for greater cooperation and joint action in this field, and to this end proposes strengthening coordination mechanisms so that more information flows between Member States and also between the military and the civilian world.
Another fundamental aspect is investment. Brussels considers that the EU-27 must «significantly» increase their investments to modernize their cyber defense and asks that they take advantage of joint plans such as the defense cooperation projects (PESCO), the European Defense Fund and European innovation programs.
In the face of the use as a weapon of war of any civilian resources and infrastructure, as seen recently with the sabotage of Nord Stream, the European Commission’s plan emphasizes further work on the standardization and certification of cyber security to protect both military and civilian resources.
ALIGNING WITH NATO DOCTRINE ON CYBER DEFENSE The Brussels initiative points to cooperation with third countries as fundamental, understanding cyber threats as a global phenomenon that goes beyond European borders. In the words of the EU High Representative for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, cyberspace «has no limits and is the new battlefield», after recalling that cyber-attacks have become «an integral part of a modern war» as is being seen in the case of Ukraine, where attacks are constantly occurring against Ukrainian institutions, but also against European and neighboring countries.
In this regard, Brussels identifies coordination with NATO as a priority objective and includes the ambition for the EU to align itself with NATO concepts and doctrine on cyber defense to the greatest extent possible.
And it puts the focus on increasing joint exercises in cyber defense in the EU, something that will require strengthening cooperation with NATO in harmonizing training needs and requirements analysis, curriculum development, courses and joint exercises, the proposal states.
