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 …
Do We Need an EU Cybersecurity Rating Agency?
As companies get ever more concerned about the cybersecurity standards of their suppliers, they are looking for a cheap and easy way to establish whether they can trust another company. Audits are time-consuming and expensive, but a number of new companies offer so-called outside-in cybersecurity ratings that promise to provide an accurate appraisal of IT security standards through a mixture …
Geopolitics of the Global Semiconductor Value Chain
The semiconductor value chain is highly interdependent, with some areas overwhelmingly dominated by a few companies or countries. Given Europe’s position in the value chain, European policymakers working toward strategic autonomy would do well to consider questions of access, leverage and resilience in addition to ownership. Semiconductors, such as processors or memory chips, are the drivers of the accelerating digitalization …
When Sovereignty Leads and Cyber Law Follows
The Network and Information Security Directive (NIS Directive) is one of the most important pieces of cyber legislation in the EU. Only four years after its entry into force, the European Commission is expected to table a revision of this cyber law by the end of the year. This is an excellent moment to consider this revision in the context …
Making Europe’s Digital Decade Global
Europe’s plan to become a global digital leader will disappoint unless it is truly global and backed by a clear vision.
Navigating the EU’s Cyber Diplomacy
Josep Borrell Fontelles needs no introduction. In European and national politics, he has done it all, including serving as the President of the European Parliament and as Spain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. He’s no stranger to digital and tech issues either: he spearheaded the process of liberalising Spain’s telecoms as Minister of Public Works and Transport in the early 1990s. In his role as the EU’s diplomat-in-chief, Borrell is now responsible for projecting the EU’s model and vision for cyberspace around the world. The task is not an easy one.