While the EU recognises the importance of cybersecurity policies, it continues to lag behind certain international counterparts in terms of creating a unified ecosystem and providing investment opportunities. One of the central problems hindering the EU is the fragmentation of its cybersecurity market, which impedes European cybersecurity companies from scaling up and forces them to look for alternative markets to …
EU Cyber Sanctions and Cyber Norms
In the absence of clear international law on state-led or sponsored cyber activity, cyber norms are surrounded by ambiguity and different interpretations. Cyber sanctions are a relatively new tool the EU has to promote norms on appropriate state behaviour in cyberspace and clarify such ambiguity. However, the EU has to be careful in its application of cyber sanctions to avoid …
Rule of Law in Cyberspace
As Montesquieu advocated, the rule of law and separation of powers are necessary to protect citizens and individuals from arbitrary rule by the state. Intensified measures to secure cyberspace risk leading to expert and political decisionmaking being kept outside of public and political debate and scrutiny. Deliberate separation of state cyber agencies and functions strengthens the rule of law, transparency …
Debunking Strategic Autonomy
Strategic autonomy continues to be “hot” in Brussels, Berlin and Paris. Not a week passes without a new policy proposal by the European Commission or a letter from a number of European Heads of State urging the strengthening of strategic autonomy and defence of sovereignty. As the thinking on strategic autonomy is evolving, it’s time to take a critical look …
Navigating Europe’s Cybersecurity
A native Estonian, Juhan Lepassaar is no stranger to cybersecurity and the inner workings of the European Union. Between 2014 and 2019 he was the head of cabinet of Andrus Ansip, Vice-President for Digital Single Market in the Juncker Commission. In this role he was also involved in the preparation and the subsequent legislative phases of the Cybersecurity Act, which significantly strengthened the competences of the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity, which he currently heads.
Data Transfers in EU-India Relations
Transborder data flow is the norm in today’s globalised and interconnected world and yields great social as well as economic benefits. Can the EU and India find a common language to ensure the protection of basic rights when processing personal data? The explosive use of technology is transforming our economies and societies. The total amount of data in the world …
Ritual Reverence to Deterrence in Cyberspace
The efficacy of deterrence as a method of conflict management is highly disputed. Yet, deterrence persists as a go-to security strategy and is flourishing in the spheres of cyber and information warfare. The EU is now embracing deterrence and its political appeal to advance its cybersecurity posture. But the prudence of this move remains unproven, and it is counterintuitive to …
EU Cybersecurity Strategy 2020: First Impressions
When it comes to digital and cyber policies, a message from Brussels this week is clear: nobody puts the EU in a corner. Faced with the growing competition and challenge to its way of doing business, Brussels is pushing back hard with concrete ideas to fight disinformation, to ensure greater independence from foreign digital giants and build a more cybersecure …
The Future for EU-US Cybersecurity Cooperation
While the American strategy of persistent engagement and the EU’s Cyber Diplomacy Toolbox – a framework for joint EU diplomatic responses to malicious cyber activities – could not be more different, they share the same underlying philosophy: the use of foreign and security policy tools to strengthen cybersecurity. Though their strategies differ significantly, the US and EU still have many instruments and strategic goals in common, which could be used to complement each other’s efforts.
Time for Cyber Maastricht?
In today’s information society, data and information replace the traditional resources for conducting war: coal and steel. Preventing conflicts revolving around these new resources demands greater cooperation and transparency. Until recently, coal and steel were critical raw materials for the economy and the basis for waging wars. It was coal and steel that brought European countries together in 1951 to …