20/03/2024 (Agence Europe) – The provisional agreement on the Solidarity Regulation, reached by the co-legislators on 7 March (see EUROPE 13365/2), was the subject of two confirmation votes on Wednesday 20 March. One by the Permanent Representatives of the Member States to the EU (‘Coreper’), the second, at virtually the same time, by MEPs on the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy. Among the latter, the provisional agreement was validated by 39 votes in favour, 3 against and 11 abstentions. On the EU Council side, the Member States also voted in favour of the agreement, as well as that reached on the amendment to the cybersecurity regulation. Only Slovakia abstained on the latter. This regulation must address the issue, which is urgent for the EU, of threats and incidents relating to the cybersecurity of networks and infrastructures. The text’s rapporteur, Lina Gálvez Muñoz (S&D, Spanish), welcomed the introduction of a law “that will mark the future of EU protection”. The text must now be adopted at the plenary session in April. (Original version in French by Isalia Stieffatre)