Saturday

12th Dec 2020

Brussels to wage war on cyber crime

The European Commission has tabled a proposal suggesting how to win the war against high-tech crimes such as online fraud, child pornography and hacking - just days after institutional websites in EU state Estonia were crippled by a series of cyber attacks.

"The number of cyber crimes is growing and criminal activities are becoming increasingly sophisticated and internationalized," EU home affairs commissioner Franco Frattini said on Tuesday (22 May) after his paper had been OKd by the EU's executive body.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

"There is an urgent need to take action at national, European as well as international level," he added.

In practice, Brussels is kicking off efforts to establish an exchange between the public and private sector, involving police, judicial and administrative authorities on the one hand and businesses on the other.

According to Mr Frattini, public-private cooperation could lead to the EU-wide blocking of sites containing illegal content, especially material on child sexual abuse, as well as see the private sector sharing relevant information on cyber-crime incidents with law enforcement authorities.

Currently, companies and internet service providers are reluctant to hand over sensitive information, arguing they protect business secrets.

"However, such information may be needed if public authorities are to formulate an efficient and appropriate anti-crime policy," commissioner Frattini underlined in his paper, adding that Brussels will in November this year host a conference touching upon the sensitive issues.

Legislative caution

On the legislative front, the commission is to act cautiously and limit itself to launching a public consultation on whether to have an EU-wide law on so-called identity theft or not.

Currently, identity theft - the use of personal information such as a credit card number to commit other crimes - is not criminalized across the entire EU bloc, with most EU states left to prosecute on the basis of another offense such as fraud, something much more difficult to prove.

But harmonisation of crime definitions and national penalties in the field of computer-related crime "is not yet appropriate," commissioner Frattini's paper states.

According to Estonian conservative MEP Tunne Kelam "we need to prepare for cyber terrorism…and address it in a rapid and much more coordinated way within the EU and NATO."

Referring to three weeks of systematic cyber-attacks against Estonia's government and private websites - something Tallinn claims has been orchestrated by Moscow – Mr Kelam suggests not only "to exchange relevant information, but also to pool expertise to develop common tool-box for cyber defence."

The Estonian case

In 2003, Estonia volunteered to set up a centre of excellence on cooperative cyber-defence to deal with the legal aspects of fighting cyber terrorism, to promote cooperation between NATO members and to draft training programmes.

The centre should be up and running by the end of 2008, with Mr Kelam saying it is ironic that Estonia is the first country to be attacked in such a massive and coordinated way.

The European commission, for its part, is urging EU capitals to make better use of existing tools such as the Council of Europe's 2001 Convention on cyber crime, which gives the ground for a functioning judicial cooperation between contracting states.

"The commission will encourage member states and relevant third countries to ratify the convention and consider the possibility for the European Community to become a party to the convention," Brussels says.

EU Commission mulls police access to encrypted apps

The European Commission has not ruled out allowing police access to encrypted services. Instead, it says a balance needs to be found to protect rights while at the same time offering some leeway to law enforcement.

Muscat poker-faced in Malta inquiry into journalist murder

"How well I'm screwed," was the then Maltese prime minister Joseph Muscat's first thought on 16 October 2017, when he found out his country's best-known journalist, Daphne Caruana Galizia, had just been murdered by a car bomb.

EU law needed to protect free press, NGOs say

More than 60 NGOs and media, including EUobserver, have signed a call for an EU-wide law to stop the rich and powerful from silencing critics with malicious litigation.

News in Brief

  1. Belgium passes 600,000 coronavirus infections
  2. EU and US move ahead on Turkey sanctions
  3. Dead mink have polluted water, Danish radio reports
  4. EU must democratise 'Big Tech', former leaders warn
  5. Ambassador: EU and US should stand up to Chinese bullying
  6. ECB gives eurozone a €500bn shot in the arm
  7. Italian trial to shed light on Egypt death squads
  8. Erdoğan speaks of 'new fronts' at Baku war parade

Opinion

Rule-of-law deal: major step for Europe of values

At the very moment when an incumbent president across the Atlantic was carrying out staggering attacks on the foundations of democracy, the European Parliament obtained a historic agreement to protect the rule of law in Europe.

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. UNESDAEU Code of Conduct can showcase PPPs delivering healthier more sustainable society
  2. CESIKlaus Heeger and Romain Wolff re-elected Secretary General and President of independent trade unions in Europe (CESI)
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersWomen benefit in the digitalised labour market
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersReport: The prevalence of men who use internet forums characterised by misogyny
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersJoin the Nordic climate debate on 17 November!
  6. UNESDAMaking healthier diets the easy choice

Latest News

  1. No-Deal Brexit now more likely, von der Leyen tells leaders
  2. EU leaders agree on 55% climate target for 2030
  3. Lithuania warns EU leaders on Belarus nuclear incidents
  4. EU leaders unblock budget in deal with Hungary and Poland
  5. EU Defence Agency chief turned lobbyist broke conduct rules
  6. Towards a truly 'European' Union
  7. The EU-Asean dance: an EU diplomat's account
  8. Post-Brexit talks in last push until Sunday

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us