The European Commission has announced plans to build a new Joint Cyber Unit to help combat the growing number of serious cyber incidents.

A joint approach to this growing problem is required, according to Ireland South MEP Deirdre Clune who has welcomed the plans by the EU.

MEP Clune said: “All Member States in the EU must be ready to respond to cyber attacks in a collective way and share information with each other. It is vital that we all work together. When it comes to cyber criminals, they don’t recognise borders and they will do what it takes to cause harm, which is why we must all work together to ensure they are stopped.”

The Joint Cyber Unit aims to bring together resources and expertise available to the EU and its Member States to effectively prevent, deter and respond to mass cyber incidents and crises. It is commonplace for organisations across various sectors to work independently of one another but this Joint Cyber Unit will have a virtual and physical platform of cooperation. The aim is that relevant EU institutions, bodies and agencies together with the Member States will build progressively a European platform for solidarity and assistance to counter large-scale cyberattacks.

MEP Clune said: “As organisations advance more digitally this will bring with it more opportunities for cybercriminals. We have learnt over the last month especially that cybercrime is a huge concern for us all both in Ireland and across Europe. The EU will help us to defend against this emerging threat and this Unit will bring together the resources necessary to fight these criminals.

“Cyberattacks are becoming an increasingly bigger risk not just for companies but also for individuals. All across Europe cyberattacks will continue to pose a threat to society. We must ensure that there is strong cooperation between the EU governments on

strengthening cybersecurity.”

“The pandemic has again exposed the cyber vulnerabilities of some critical sectors and we have seen that with the HSE which has been the unfortunate victim of an attack recently. The attack caused significant damage to our healthcare systems and patient care. We must continue to raise awareness of cybersecurity among individuals and businesses as it still remains low,” said MEP Clune.

The Joint Cyber Unit will act as a platform to ensure an EU coordinated response to large-scale cyber incidents and crises, as well as to offer assistance in recovering from these attacks.