During a plenary session debate in Strasbourg on Wednesday 14 March, MEPs reasserted their commitment to tackle cybercrime. They did not, however, enter into any details, despite the proposals currently being examined.
In his opening speech, the Commissioner for Security Union Julian King pointed out that the member states had until 10 March 2018 to transpose Directive 2016/1148 into national law. This directive introduces a high common level of network and information systems security (see EUROPE 11347). He congratulated the member states that have gone further than provided for in the directive by including public services, for example.
King briefly referred to the cyber security package currently being examined (see EUROPE 11865) and reaffirmed the Commission's intention to present a legislative proposal on electronic evidence (see EUROPE 11978).
The MEPs repeated their commitment to tackle online cybercrime. Several of them encouraged the member states that had not yet done so (such as Ireland and Sweden) to ratify the Council of Europe’s Convention on Cybercrime (the so-called Budapest Convention).
Peter Kouroumbashev (S&D, Bulgaria) was astonished that the most advanced member states were also those most opposed to strengthening the mandate of the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA), which is currently being examined (see EUROPE 11964).
James Nicholson (ECR, United Kingdom) expressed his wish for EU-UK collaboration in this field to continue after Brexit. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)