European Cybersecurity Policy

The main European institutions with respect to understanding European Union (EU) policy, however, are the European Commission (EC), Council of Ministers (Council of the European Union), European Network and Information Security Agency, and the European Police Agency (Europol). European cybersecurity policy focuses on the domains of network and information security and cybercrime. This chapter provides an overview of the main organizations with respect to the formulation of European cyberspace policy. The main executive and legislative institutions are described along with a summary of what was until late 2009 a unique pillar structure to policy areas in the EU, which is of significant impact with respect to cybersecurity policy. The EU's current general policy governing cybercrime is described in a Communication from the Commission released in 2007. The chapter provides an overview of relevant EU policy instruments and their substantive content as they relate to the protection of cyberspace.