Paving the way towards a collective response to cybersecurity challenges in Europe

Executive Summary

DIGITALEUROPE welcomes the proposal for a Cyber Solidarity Act. Cyberattacks targeting the critical infrastructure of all nation-states increased by 20% in 2022, having had serious political, financial, and economic consequences across Europe and beyond.

In this position paper, DIGITALEUROPE provides a series of recommendations aimed at further consolidating the proposal for a Cyber Solidarity Act. We consider the proposal a vital step towards a collective response to cybersecurity challenges in Europe.

As such, our key recommendations in this position paper are to:

• Strengthen cooperation and information sharing between SOCs and Information Sharing and Analysis Centres (ISACs). The private sector has been sharing relevant information about vulnerabilities and threats as well as insights and best practices within the framework of ISACs. SOCs would greatly benefit from collaborating closely with ISACs. This partnership has the potential to boost the collective defence and resilience of European cybersecurity.
• Involve private sector in setting up the EU cybersecurity reserve. The partnership between the European Commission, the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA) and the private sector can ensure that the reserve has access to key industry insights and cutting-edge solutions, thus safeguarding European cyber resilience.
• Include cybersecurity professionals and providers in the EU cybersecurity reserve from NATO allied countries, EU candidate countries and like-minded countries e.g., Switzerland, Israel. A collaborative approach could boost the collective defence against cyber threats.
• The use of cloud technology is a pivotal enabler for cross-border SOCs. Cloud infrastructure enables flexible, scalable, and borderless collaboration for European SOCs.
• For an efficient cybersecurity ecosystem, procurement processes need to be faster and more agile. We suggest the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre (ECCC) collaborates with the private sector to simplify procurement for cross-border SOCs in countering evolving threats.