Dear Colleague,

The European Commission is glad to publish the first Critical Infrastructure Resilience newsletter of 2023 and inform you of news, activities and events carried out across EU and beyond on critical entities and the infrastructure they rely on. 

In autumn last year, EU Member States were faced with attacks on critical infrastructure. The sabotage of  the Nord Stream gas pipelines has been a wake-up call and demonstrated the need to further strengthen resilience of critical infrastructure in the energy sector. Further incidents, like the sabotage affecting the German rail network or several cases of suspicious attempts to gather information on sensitive sites make it even more clear that there is a need to ensure that our critical infrastructure is secure and resilient. In that regard, important policy milestones have been achieved by the end of 2022. 

The adoption of the Directive on the Resilience of Critical Entities in December 2022 is a cornerstone to strengthen the resilience of critical entities in the EU. Having entered into force on 16 January 2023, the Directive covers 11 sectors against a wide range of threats, including terrorist attacks, insider threats, sabotage, as well as natural hazards and public health emergencies. With a new framework for cooperation, as well as a set of obligations for both Member States and critical entities that provide essential services, critical entities will be better prepared to resist, respond and be able to bounce back into operations in case of a disruptive incident. 

After the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines, the EU and its Member States were faced with the need to urgently step up EU efforts to protect against further attacks on critical infrastructure. The Council adopted a Recommendation on a Union-wide coordinated approach to strengthen the resilience of critical infrastructure, strengthening ongoing efforts on the resilience of critical infrastructure by better preparing, better responding and enhancing international cooperation. The CER Directive, complemented by the Council Recommendation will boost action and cooperation at EU-level in making sure that our critical infrastructure is even more resilient. 

There are many recent developments that concern the holistic cross-sectoral and cross-border resilience of critical infrastructure and the supply chains they rely on. This edition of the newsletter features projects, security reports, and key conferences both at EU and international level.

The newsletter is a joint effort of the European Commission's Directorate-General Migration and Home Affairs (HOME) and Joint Research Centre (JRC). 

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! 

If you work or are interested in the area of critical infrastructure resilience, get in touch and share any interesting information by emailing us. 

Happy reading, 

The Editorial Team