EU countries agree to strengthen cyber security

European Union (EU) member states on Monday agreed on measures to strengthen cyber security across the EU.

According to the statement of EU's General Affairs Council, the conclusions adopted at the Council stress the need for all EU countries to make the necessary resources and investment available to address cyber security.

EU countries welcome the intention of increasing EU efforts in cyber security research and development by setting up a network of cyber security competence centers across the Union.

The Council also backs the plan to set up a world-class European cyber security certification framework to increase trust in digital solutions.

Other measures highlighted by the Council include providing the necessary law enforcement tools to tackle cybercrime, developing a coordinated EU-level response to large-scale cyber incidents and crises, and conducting pan-European cyber security exercises on a regular basis.

"Cybercrime and state-sponsored malicious cyber activities are one of the largest global threats to our societies and economies. We already lose around 400 billion euros (470 billion U.S. dollars) globally every year due to cyber-attacks," said Matti Maasikas, Estonia's Deputy Minister for European Affairs and chair of the Council meeting.

"Increasing our efforts and investment in cyber security is a pre-condition for building a strong and trusted digital single market for our citizens," Maasikas added.