The Finnish Presidency of the Council of the EU has made increasing resilience to hybrid and cyber threats one of its priorities.
“We must be ready to meet the long-term challenge of the rapidly evolving nature of hybrid threats”, emphasises the Presidency in its programme, recalling the danger that such threats pose to the EU. “In this context, we will place particular emphasis on building EU capacity to combat hybrid threats and build resilience at both the EU and Member State level”, warns Finland. To meet the challenges posed by these threats, Member States and the EU must act “together in a structured and coordinated manner”.
According to the Presidency, “it is important to ensure that we have the appropriate organisational structure to achieve the political objectives set by the European Council” (see EUROPE 12120/5). “Together, we must further develop institutional mechanisms and tools. It is also essential to further develop partnerships, in particular EU-NATO cooperation”, the programme specifies, while Finland hosts the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats (see EUROPE 12284/8). “In order to develop our awareness and resilience to hybrid threats, the Finnish Presidency will organise scenario-based political discussions at different levels”, the document adds.
Helsinki also believes that, while 5G technology offers huge new opportunities, it requires a greater focus on cybersecurity. “In order to improve the cybersecurity of critical infrastructure, joint EU action is also needed”, pleads the Presidency, which will promote knowledge and capacity on this subject. According to the document, the EU must also fight against attempts to exert hostile influence, prevent conflicts, reduce the risks of cybersecurity and promote stability in international relations.
In a “difficult geopolitical environment”, the EU must do more to strengthen European security and defence cooperation in order to protect its citizens and strengthen its role as a security provider.
The work programme recalls the progress made in recent years - Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), the European Defence Fund (EDF), the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD) and the Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC) - and states that the Presidency wants to ensure the effective implementation of existing objectives and to pursue an active strategic debate on security and defence in the EU. At the same time, Finland, a neutral country, is advocating closer cooperation between the EU and the Alliance.
Finland also wants to encourage a discussion on artificial intelligence and digitisation “with a view to developing tomorrow's capabilities”. “The economic potential of digitisation and applications of artificial intelligence should be enormous, and Europeans must be the first to benefit from these developments”, the Presidency argues. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)