TELECOMS COUNCIL : CYBER SECURITY: MEMBER STATES DON'T WANT OVERLY BINDING RULES.

A fair few member states are none too happy about overly binding EU rules being imposed to step up the fight against cyber attacks. The telecoms ministers held a Council meeting, on 6 June, and debated the proposal for a directive to ensure a high level of common security of the networks and information systems in the Union.

Unveiled on 7 February by the European Commission the draft directive is part of the global EU strategy on cyber security. The draft directive on the security of networks and information systems is designed to step up the fight against cyber attacks in the EU. These have multiple origins, including natural disasters, human error, information system failures and attacks by criminals and terrorists.

The Commission's aim with this text is to impose obligations in the field of cyber security both for the member states and the private sector because the Commission considers that the voluntary approach used over the last few years is not working. The Commission notes that incidents on information networks and systems are increasingly frequent and complex.

Operators of critical infrastructure and key internet companies will have to apply cyber security measures and report "significant" incidents to competent national authorities. The latter will have to be set up by EU member states. Moreover, cooperation among the 27 member states will be enshrined in the rules.

The 16 ministers who attended the meeting unanimously agreed that cyber security should be a priority. "There is a consensus about the seriousness of threats to the economy and society," said Irish Minister Pat Rabbitte, in the name of the Presidency.

Nevertheless, many ministers are grumbling about EU measures being imposed that they feel are overly binding. They are arguing, instead, in favour of a more flexible approach that would remain voluntary in many regards. No surprise there, since security is for the most part under national jurisdiction. Only a small number of member states - like Italy - feel that "the threat is so big that the only solution is a binding approach," said the Irish minister.

"Our proposal is rather flexible, very flexible, in fact,"...