1.Introduction

Hybrid activities by State and non-state actors continue to pose a serious and acute threat to the EU and its Member States. Efforts to destabilise countries by undermining public trust in government institutions and by challenging the core values of societies have become more common. Our societies face a serious challenge from those who seek to damage the EU and its Member States, from cyber-attacks disrupting the economy and public services, through targeted disinformation campaigns to hostile military actions.

Hybrid campaigns are multidimensional, combining coercive and subversive measures, using both conventional and unconventional tools and tactics (diplomatic, military, economic, and technological) to destabilise the adversary. They are designed to be difficult to detect or attribute, and can be used by both state and non-state actors. The nerve agent attack in Salisbury last March further underlined the versatility of hybrid threats and the multitude of tactics now available. In response, the European Council highlighted the need to step up the capacity of the EU and its Member States to detect, prevent and respond to hybrid threats in areas such as cyber, strategic communication and counter-intelligence. It also drew particular attention to the need for resilience in the face of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear-related threats.

The threats posed by non-conventional weapons fall in a category of their own because of the potential scale of the damage they can cause. As well as being difficult to detect and attribute, they are complex to remedy. Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear-related threats, going beyond hybrid threats and covering also terrorist threats, are also a general concern of the international community , particularly the evolving risk of proliferation both geographically and to non-State actors.

Strengthening resilience to these threats and bolstering capabilities are predominantly Member State responsibilities. However, the EU institutions have already taken a number of actions to help to reinforce national efforts. This has included working in close collaboration with other international actors, including in particular the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), and such work could deepen further into support to Member States in areas like rapid response.

This Joint Communication responds to the European Council's invitation to take this work forward. It is part of a broader package which also includes the latest Security Union progress report, which takes stock and presents next steps in implementing the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Action Plan of October 2017 , as well as the Second progress report on the implementation of the 22 actions of the Joint Framework on countering Hybrid Threats – a European Union response.

2.The EU response

The Commission and the High Representative have invested consistent efforts to build up the EU's capabilities and effectively support Member States to counter hybrid and Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear-related threats. Tangible results have already been achieved in areas such as strategic communications, situational awareness, strengthening preparedness and resilience, and reinforcing crisis response capacities.

The East Stratcom Task Force, established after the March 2015 European Council, has spearheaded work on forecasting, tracking and tackling disinformation originating from foreign sources. Its expert analyses and public products have significantly raised awareness about the impact of Russian disinformation. Over the past two years, it has uncovered over 4000 individual disinformation cases, many of which deliberately targeting Europe. The work of the East Stratcom Task Force has also focused on the improved delivery of positive communications, with increased outreach in the Eastern Neighbourhood. Following this success, two other taskforces have been created with different geographic focus - a Task Force for the Western Balkans and a dedicated Task Force South for the Arab-speaking world.

Important steps have been taken to build up structures needed to improve situational awareness and support decision-making. The Hybrid Fusion Cell was established within the EU Intelligence and Situation Centre of the European External Action Service in 2016. The Fusion Cell receives and analyses classified and open source information from different stakeholders concerning hybrid threats. Over 100 assessments and briefings have been produced to date, shared within the EU and amongst Member States to inform EU decision-making. The Hybrid Fusion Cell has a close working relationship with the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats in Helsinki. Set up in April 2017 to encourage strategic dialogue and carry out research and analysis on hybrid threats, the Centre of Excellence has now expanded its membership to 16 countries and receives sustained support from the EU.

There have also been important steps in bolstering preparedness and resilience, in particular against Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear-related threats. The past six months have seen major steps in identifying gaps in preparedness for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear-related security incidents, notably in terms of detection capacity to help prevent Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear-attacks. At the Commission's initiative, a consortium of national experts carried out an analysis of the gaps in the detection equipment for different types of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear-related scenarios. The gap analysis report has been shared with Member States, allowing them to make informed decisions on detection strategies and take operational measures to address the identified gaps.

This work has been backed up through exercises testing out the degree of progress. The 2017 Parallel and Coordinated Exercise (PACE17) with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation has allowed a detailed testing of the EU's response capacities to large-scale hybrid crisis. Unprecedented in terms of scope, it put to test not only the "EU Hybrid Playbook", the different EU response mechanisms and their ability to interact efficiently with each other, but also how the EU's response to hybrid threats interacted with North Atlantic Treaty Organisation's action. An Exercise for 2018 is in its planning phase, with the ambition not only to establish it as an annual practice, but also to help Member States to reinforce their hybrid crisis response capacities.

These concrete steps illustrate how the policy frameworks put in place by the EU are bearing fruit: the past two years have seen a series of frameworks to help guide and focus the EU's work.

The April 2016 Joint Framework on countering hybrid threats – a European Union response encouraged a whole-of-government approach, with 22 areas for action, to help counter hybrid threats and foster the resilience of the EU and the Member States, as well as that of international partners. Most actions defined in the Joint Framework focus on improving situational awareness and building resilience, with better capacity to respond. They range from bolstering EU's intelligence analysis capacity to strengthening protection of critical infrastructure and cybersecurity to fighting radicalisation and violent extremism. Cyber-related threats and cyber-attacks are also at the core of the Joint Framework. The second progress report on the implementation of the Joint Framework, adopted in parallel to this Joint Communication, demonstrates tangible progress on these actions and confirms the strengthening and deepening of EU efforts to counter hybrid threats .

On cyber-security, 9 May 2018 was an important landmark as the deadline for all EU Member States to transpose the first EU-wide legally binding set of rules on cybersecurity, the Directive on Security of Networks and Information Systems. This is an important part of the broader approach set out in the September 2017 Joint Communication on Resilience, Deterrence and Defence: Building strong cybersecurity in Europe, with wide-ranging concrete measures to provide a major boost to EU's cybersecurity structures and capabilities. This centred on building EU's resilience to cyber-attacks and stepping up the EU's cybersecurity capacity; creating an effective criminal law response; and strengthening global stability through international cooperation. It was accompanied by a proposal for a Cybersecurity Act, to strengthen support at EU level and has been backed up with a series of proposals which need to be carried through to implementation (see below).

Disinformation harms our democracies by hampering the ability of citizens to take informed decisions and to participate in the democratic process. The internet has vastly increased the volume and variety of news available to citizens. However, new technologies can be used to disseminate disinformation at unprecedented scale and speed, targeting with precision to sow distrust and create societal tensions. The Commission Communication on tackling online disinformation: a European Approach set out a European approach in response to the problem of disinformation by calling on different stakeholders, in particular online platforms but also media companies, to take action. These actions cover a broad range of relevant fields, including increased transparency; trustworthiness and accountability of online platforms; more secure and resilient election processes; fostering education and media literacy; supporting quality journalism; and countering disinformation through strategic communication. First concrete steps include a Code of Practice on Disinformation, to be developed by a Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Disinformation and a network of fact-checkers to be in place before the summer. A first meeting of the Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Disinformation was held on 29 May 2018, agreeing the steps needed to adopt the code in July 2018. The Commission will assess by the end of 2018 the progress made in tackling the problem and decide whether an additional intervention in this field is needed. The activities foreseen will be coherent with and complementary to those of the East Stratcom Task Force.

As regards Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear risks, the Commission's October 2017 Action Plan proposed 23 practical actions and measures aimed at better protection of citizens and infrastructures against these threats, including through closer cooperation between the EU and its Member States, as well as with the North-Atlantic Treaty Organisation. As part of the measures in the Security Union to improve protection and resilience against terrorism, it followed a preventive approach based on the rationale that Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear-related risks were with low probability but high and lasting impact in case of an attack. In the meantime, the attack in Salisbury, as well as an increasing concern about terrorist interest and a capability to use Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear materials both inside and outside the EU show that the threat posed by Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear substances is real. This further reinforces the urgent need to fully implement the Action Plan. It follows an all-hazards approach, and focuses on four objectives: reducing the accessibility of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear materials; ensuring a more robust preparedness for and response to Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear security incidents; building stronger internal-external links in Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear security with key regional and international EU partners; and enhancing knowledge of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear risks. Detailed reporting on the tangible progress in implementing the Action Plan is provided in the latest Security Union progress report, adopted in parallel to this Joint Communication.

Finally, to increase the effectiveness of efforts to counter hybrid threats and reinforce the message of unity among EU Members States and North-Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Allies, cooperation against hybrid threats has been defined as a key area of EU-NATO cooperation, as outlined in the July 2016 Warsaw Joint Declaration. Nearly one third of all the current common proposals for cooperation are focused on hybrid threats. The exercises and the "EU Playbook" described above are being built on with deepened cooperation this year.

3.Stepping up the response to the evolving threats