16 June 2017

European cybersecurity policy - Trends and prospects

Iva Tasheva

This paper looks at the priorities for EU action on cybersecurity, including efforts to improve information and systems’ security, tackle cybercrime, counter cyber warfare, and improve the security of citizens online. As more and more aspects of our lives are connected to the Internet, we are also becoming more vulnerable to malicious attacks. A demonstration of this was given in May 2017, when a ransomware attack affected 200,000 computers, disrupting the work of hospitals, public transport, banks, service providers, delivery services, and businesses across the globe. This and other, similar occurrences, underline the urgent need to come up with a coordinated crisis response and a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy at EU level. In this Policy Brief, Iva Tasheva explores the different tools the Union has at its disposal, and argues that it should pursue a more balanced course between security and freedom, putting EU values at the core of its approach. She also calls for cybersecurity to be included in all relevant areas of policymaking, such as the (Digital) Single Market (e.g. online platforms, the data, collaborative, and app economy), education (knowledge, skills, and life-long learning), industry, innovation, investment, and defence cooperation.

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