Uniform European critical infrastructure protection policy a step closer

Developing a coherent and consistent policy for critical infrastrcture protection is difficult enough when attempted in one country, so imagine what it would take to develop such a policy for an organization with more than a dozen countries — countries, moreover, the infrastrcture of which is intertwined and interdependent. Yet, such a coherent and consistent policy must be developed lest the protection of the entire multi-country infrastructure system would be only as strong as the weaker protective measures undertaken by the country least attentive to the issue.

This is the task facing the the European Commission, which has just adopted a communication on the protection of critical infrastructure in energy and transport. The communication is the result of the initial consultation exercise with member states’ representatives and stakeholders at the European level. The communication sets out a number of criteria with which European critical infrastructure in the communication and transportation sectors should meet. Precise criteria will make identification of key issues easier and ensure that policies are harmonized across the member states, and thus eliminate any weaknesses that could be exploited by criminals or terrorists.

Note that the communication is the first sector-based contribution toward implementing the recently adopted European Program for Critical Infrastructure Protection. When the governing bodies of the European Commission adopt the directive on the identification and designation of European critical infrastructure, the criteria laid down in the communication will be implemented.

-read more at the EU Web site