The Impact of the Ukraine War on European Cybersecurity Policies and Legislation for Critical Infrastructure, Including Energy
摘要
Cybersecurity is one of the topics where European policy interventions are the most relevant, especially following the invasion of Ukraine. Until 2022, the EU’s response to the explosion of cyber threats has been based on a series of legislations to strengthen cybersecurity and cyber defense. But the Ukrainian–Russian conflict is a new challenge and hence raises the question about the effectiveness of the European cybersecurity policy, especially to protect its critical infrastructures such as energy that are key to EU resilience. So far, the cyberwar in Europe has not happened as expected. Nevertheless, this conflict is an opportunity for the EU to adapt its cybersecurity policy. The EU legislative packages will only bear fruit if they are accompanied by an increase in cybersecurity capacities, both at Member State and EU levels. Moreover, it requires a paradigm shift and a holistic approach. The result of our analysis is that the conflict in Ukraine and the cyberwar that goes with it have a limited impact on Europe. However, this war has shown that even though the EU has plenty of digital assets, it lacks ambitious cooperation and unified implementation. In addition, alliances are a key challenge. Eventually, to achieve a complete cybersecurity strategy, the conditions are coordination with private initiatives and the mobilization of talents.