Cybersecurity is growing in importance as a result of increased connectivity. Although the role of the EU in national security matters is limited, some cybersecurity issues need to be addressed at EU level. The US experience in this field can help inform the development of new policies and infrastructure in Europe to tackle this increasing threat. Leading expert Joel Brenner, former senior counsel at the National Security Agency and now Senior Research Fellow at MIT’s Center for International Studies, shared his insights with the EPC on how to better protect our data and make the internet more secure. Among the issues discussed were the US experience in addressing cybersecurity threats and the revised European Cybersecurity Strategy, published on 13 September, as well as the protection of personal data, critical infrastructure and connected devices. What are the main cybersecurity issues in the US and the EU? What solutions have been developed in the US? Could these solutions be disseminated across Europe and to what extent does the revised EU Cybersecurity Strategy address these challenges?
Speakers included: Annika Hedberg, Senior Policy Analyst, EPC, Joel Brenner, Senior Research Fellow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Pawel Herczynski, Director for Security Policy and Conflict Prevention, European External Action Service, Hannes Krause, Counsellor for Cyber Issues, Permanent Representation of Estonia to the European Union, Rasmus Theede, Director of Policy, DIGITALEUROPE.