Closer EU-US Collaboration on Cybersecurity Sought

Cyberattacks such as SolarWinds and Colonial Pipeline shouldn't become a norm, said European Member of Parliament Eva Maydell, of the European People's Party Group and Bulgaria, Wednesday at a webcast on the European Commission's proposed network and information security directive update (NIS2). Maydell, who's writing the legislative response to the proposal for the Industry, Research and Energy Committee, said Europe needs a clear, robust defense and high cyber-resilience. Cybersecurity requires trans-Atlantic cooperation, she said. Asked what common ground could be explored, Cisco Head-EU Public Policy Chris Gow listed use of internationally recognized standards; investment funding for governments and industry; better cyber skills for employees; and to "go after the bad guys." If cybercrime losses were an economy, they would be No. 3, Gow said. Major incidents made people fully aware of what's at stake, said Jakub Boratynski, head of unit-cybersecurity and digital privacy policy, EC Directorate-General, communications networks, content and technology. EU cybersecurity strategy began slowly when the original NIS became effective in 2013 and it needs improvement, he said. There's a "mismatch" between the regulatory framework at the EU level and what happens on the ground, said European Network and Information Security Executive Director Juhan Lepassaar: NIS2 is an effort to catch up, and it must also capture the future. The proposal is "evolution, not revolution," Gow said: NIS2 could help create more harmonization, and a more consistent overall approach is needed.