Debate: A high common level of cybersecurity across the Union
Date: THURSDAY, 10 NOVEMBER 2022
Speaker: Margrethe Vestager
Language: EN

On the contrary, what we are doing today is to make sure that we can get all the benefits from digitisation. We can fight climate change. We can get health benefits. We can get easier from A to B. We can fight pollution in our cities. We can make sure that agriculture is as efficient as possible without harming the soil. The digital opportunities for bettering our lives and increasing the livelihoods at they are enormous – if we make sure that it’s safe.  And I very much appreciate the question here posed lastly, because not everyone is at the same level of digitisation. Some are newcomers. Some have long experience. Here, I think we are, to very large degree, helped by the recovery and resilience plans of every country because digitisation is a high priority both when it comes to the rollout of infrastructure and the skills to be provided. But, of course, now when we have the legislation necessary to make sure that it’s all made safe in the same go. So hopefully those who have the potential to leapfrog, they will do that with cybersecurity in mind.  What we do today is only the beginning. As it was just mentioned, today we are presenting a European cyber security and defence package. It is military mobility. We have the first generation of action plan here. Next generation will ensure that in digitisation of all the paperwork that is still needed for military personnel and equipment to move, so that it can be smooth and swift. That we will also look at the fuel supply chain. You just saw what happened in Ukraine. When fuel is lacking, then there is not much mobility. And, of course, insisting and accelerating that infrastructure is built so that it can support heavy duty military vehicles be that bridges, be that be roads.  And then, of course, on the cyber security part of the package to make sure that we reinforce the cooperation and that we make sure that when civilian infrastructure is dual use, that we use our resources so much better.  So far, no new legislation is foreseen, but a lot of activities that would be ongoing for Member States to enable this and for a Commission use of funding that has already been set up.  The encouragement today, I think, comes from the fact that everyone here has seen this as a major step but as a beginning. Because now there is a legal framework, now there’s work to do for Member States and for the new sectors in particular. And I hope that everyone has listened to this debate and seen how the representatives of European citizens insist that it is a top priority for this to be safe.  We have seen the attacks on the Irish health sector, which was just, I think, very timely mentioned. This is absolutely crucial because it is a question of literally life and death.  We will do what we can to frontload what is now being decided by Parliament and the Council because we have seen that this is a matter of urgency. And, with that, I would like to thank everyone who has spoken today and, of course, the rapporteur in particular for being able to gather this support so that we could pass this important legislative text so swiftly.