European Union

On March 12, 2019 members of the European Parliament approved the Cybersecurity Act. It establishes an EU-wide certification scheme for products, processes and services to guarantee they meet common minimal EU cybersecurity requirements. 

"Cyber-attacks can be more dangerous to the stability of democracies and economies than guns and tanks”, the EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker stated in 2017. The Cybersecurity Act entered into force on June 27, 2019, as a key step towards further strenghtening the European Union’s posture in cyberspace. The implications of this Act go beyond the mere technical dimension: they directly impact the private sector, the establishment of a single digital market, and the projection of EU as a digital power vis à vis other international actors.

With the rapid development and wide application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), it is urgent as well as challenging for all countries to mitigate threats, maintain stability and improve security in cyberspace. As one of the most advanced actors in the international digital world, the EU has made enormous efforts and achieved astonishing progress in this regard by establishing a comprehensive and systematic cyber strategy.

Reform of cybersecurity in Europe has been high on the agenda of EU institutions and the member states since September 2017. On March 12, members of the European Parliament adopted the EU Cybersecurity Act.

The Cybersecurity Act entered into force on the 27 of June 2019 is just the last act (for now) in a flurry of policy and operations- level activities carried out in recent years by the European Commission, by agencies and in member states regarding cybersecurity. This high level of activity is based on several reasons. On the one hand, cyber threats have finally been recognized as a major hazard and something that will not go away if left alone, with numbers on the growth and financial impacts of “hard” cyber risks that continue to be staggering.

With approval by the European Parliament, which took place last March 12 with 586 votes in favor, 44 against and 36 abstentions, the long legislative process of the so-called Cybersecurity Act, which began in September 2017, has come to its end. The Act entered into force on the 27 of June 2019 and, being a Regulation, it is effective for all member states.

Unrest is growing in cyberspace. Cybercriminals, spies, and “hacktivists” have been inhabiting cyberspace since its inception. More recently, there has been a growing presence of state-sponsored cyber-attacks, which are often driven by espionage goals.

Despite for years leaving much to be desired, the strategic relationship between Japan and the EU has recently witnessed a significant boost. With the signing of tandem economic and strategic partnership agreements at the end of 2018, relations between the great civilian powers at each of Eurasia’s poles appear on the cusp of major change.

The clock is ticking for the United Kingdom, as we enter the final month of the two-year Article 50 negotiations period, which allows the UK to secure a Withdrawal Agreement from the European Union.

European integration remains the top priority for the Georgian government and society at large. The integration process involves many sectors, from good governance and human rights to security, environment, and the economy.

In the past decade, the EU has shown the world its ability to struck ambitious trade deals and to create the conditions for win-win agreements. Today, its trade policy is endangered by the threat of a trade war initiated   by the United States, the EU closest ally and main trade partner.