Widespread adoption of cybersecurity technologies through dedicated support to SMEs
under the Digital Innovation Hubs;
Development of an EU DNS resolver service as a safe and open alternative for EU
citizens, businesses and public administration to access the Internet; and
Completion of the implementation of the 5G Toolbox by the second quarter of 2021(see
Annex).
2. BUILDING OPERATIONAL CAPACITY TO PREVENT, DETER AND
RESPOND
Cyber incidents, whether accidental or the deliberate action of criminals, state and other nonstate actors, can cause enormous damage. Their scale and complexity, often involving the
exploitation of third-party services, hardware, and software to compromise a final target,
make the EU’s collective threat environment hard to counter without systematic and
comprehensive information sharing and cooperation on a common response. The EU aims,
through the full implementation of regulatory tools, mobilisation and cooperation, to
support Member States in defending their citizens, as well as their economic and national
security interests, in full respect of fundamental rights and freedoms and the rule of law.
Several communities, composed of networks, EU institutions, bodies and agencies, as well as
Member State authorities, are responsible for preventing, discouraging, deterring and
responding to cyber threat, using their respective instruments and initiatives74. These
communities include: (i) NIS authorities, such as CSIRTs, and disaster response; (ii) law
enforcement and judicial authorities; (iii) cyber diplomacy; and (iv) cyber defence.
2.1
A Joint Cyber Unit
A Joint Cyber Unit would serve as a virtual and physical platform for cooperation for the
different cybersecurity communities in the EU, with a focus on operational and technical
coordination against major cross border cyber incidents and threats.
The Joint Cyber Unit would be an important step forward towards completing the European
cybersecurity crisis management framework. As outlined in the Commission President’s
Political Guidelines75, the Unit should enable Member States and EU institutions, bodies and
agencies to make full use of existing structures, resources and capabilities and promote a
‘need-to-share’ mind-set. It would provide the means to consolidate the progress made so far
in the implementation of the 2017 Recommendation on a coordinated response to large-scale
cybersecurity incidents and crises (‘Blueprint’)76. It would also provide the opportunity to
74
Including the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) support to operational cooperation and
crisis management; the CSIRTs network; the Cyber Crises Liaison Organisation Network (CyCLONe, to
become EU-CyCLONe as proposed under the revised NIS Directive); the NIS Cooperation Group; ‘rescEU’;
the European Cybercrime Centre and the Joint Cybercrime Action Task Force at Europol and the Law
Enforcement Emergency Response Protocol; the EU Intelligence and Situation Centre (EU INTCEN) and the
Cyber Diplomacy Toolbox); the Single Intelligence Analysis Capacity (SIAC); the cyber projects under the
Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), notably the ‘Cyber Rapid Response Teams and Mutual Assistance
in Cybersecurity’ (CRRT).
75
‘A Union that strives for more: My agenda for Europe’, Political guidelines for the next European Commission
2019-2024 by candidate for President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.
76
Blueprint Recommendation C(2017) 6100 final of 13.9.2017 on Coordinated Response to Large Scale
Cybersecurity Incidents and Crises.
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