The Slovenian Presidency of the EU Council presented its revised draft conclusions on the Joint Cyber Unit to the members of the Horizontal Working Party on Cyber Issues on 22 September. This unit is intended to complement the EU’s coordinated response to large-scale cyber security incidents and crises (see EUROPE 12747/18).
In concrete terms, the EU Council Presidency note, of which EUROPE has obtained a copy, insists on the need to leave a significant margin of manoeuvre for the Member States in terms of crisis management. This is partly in response to several MEPs who questioned, last July, the willingness of the Member States to make concessions (see EUROPE 12753/10).
“Member States have primary responsibility for the response to large-scale cybersecurity incidents and crises affecting them”, the note says.
Similarly, the revised draft conclusions - in a dynamic of complementarity - stress the need to avoid duplication, recalling its commitment to the use of existing networks, initiatives, processes, and procedures at national and European level.
In addition to the desire for greater transparency, the EU Council Presidency also calls for greater cooperation and exchange of information between Member States. The European Commission was pleased with this, as it had made cooperation the pillar of the joint unit in its presentation on 23 June.
Similarly, the EU Council recognises that the framework for a common diplomatic response to cyber activities must be pursued.
This diplomatic response should be the result of consultation between Member States, according to the EU Council Presidency in its text. The European Union Intelligence and Situation Centre (INTCEN) would then act as a “hub” providing threat assessment and knowledge acquired on the basis of voluntary contributions from Member States.
Welcoming the future creation of the joint unit, the EU Council finally recalled the need for “all Member States’ involvement and participation in the deliberations, development and decision-making processes at every step”.
Otherwise, it warns, “the resulting potential Joint Cyber Unit cannot function effectively”.
See the document: https://bit.ly/3oj0PHd (Original version in French by Thomas Mangin)