EU Commission: a “Joint Cyber Unit” for a coordinated response to cyberattacks, up by 75% between 2019 and 2020

Europe suffered 432 cyberattacks in 2019, and 756 such incidents were recorded in 2020, which represents an increase of 75%. That is why Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton, has today presented a proposal to build a “Joint Cyber Unit”. It will serve to “coordinate existing initiatives, because Member States have sovereignty in this area”, Breton explained. The goal is to “pool resources, enhance our capacity to monitor what is happening, and provide timely information, with a secure information exchange network, to allow an advanced and coordinated response”. The Unit will enhance cooperation not only between countries, but also with all stakeholders: cybersecurity communities, including civilian communities, law-enforcement, diplomatic and cyber defence communities and private sector companies. It will be both a physical platform, where cybersecurity experts can come together, and a virtual platform for information sharing and detection capabilities. It will operate close to the offices of the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) in Brussels and the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-EU). The Commission plans to implement it in 1-1.5 years. Commissioner for Promoting our European Way of Life, Margaritis Schinas, expressed the hope that Council and Parliament “may not frustrate the Commission’s ambition” in this “operational, timely and big” package for a Europe that protects.
Valentina Bombelli