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EU thrusts security to the forefront - Update - Brief Article

Internal Auditor, April, 2003 by D. Salierno

TO CURB CYBER-CRIMES, the European Union (EU) head office recently proposed the establishment of an agency to coordinate Internet security efforts across Europe. The European Network and Information Security Agency is expected to play a pivotal role in advising EU institutions and citizens on cyber-security matters, as well as protecting against Web-related threats.

The proposed agency would be the first to collect and analyze data on Internet security breaches on a pan-European level and would seek to advise EU governments on its findings, according to EU Information Society Commissioner Erkki Liikanen. "The EU will benefit from increased coordination between member states to achieve a sufficiently high level of security in all member states," he said at a news conference in Brussels.

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Among the specific responsibilities of the information security agency would be assisting member states with security risk assessment and ensuring the interoperability of networks and information systems by encouraging harmonized procedures and technologies. Other duties would include promoting security standards and serving as a platform for coordinating security cooperation with partners outside the EU.

"This does not give us any power to impose cooperation," Liikanen said. Instead, the European Commission expects that industries and national agencies will realize the collective benefits of coming forward with information to quickly devise effective responses to cyber-attacks.

The commission has earmarked 24.3 million euro (Us $26.2 million) for the agency over a five-year period, with an additional 9 million euro planned for incorporation of 10 new member states, mainly from Central Europe, in May 2004. The agency is due to begin operating in Jan. 2004.

Governments of the 15 member states are expected to decide on a location for the security facility later this year. For more information, visit the European Commission's Web site at europa.eu.int/comm.