A more secure Europe

In an increasingly unpredictable world, the European Union stepped up its efforts to protect its citizens and ensure our common security.

As the nature of threats evolves and crises become more multidimensional, the Commission has adopted a comprehensive approach to security, and we have developed necessary tools to keep Europe safe.

Increasing the resilience of our critical infrastructure and cyber resilience

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In recent years we have boosted the physical security of critical infrastructure and entities thanks to the Critical Entities Resilience Directive, which requires that Member States carry out risk assessments of their critical sectors.

Our interconnected world has given rise to risks in the online sphere, too.

Directive for a high common level of cybersecurity across the Union (NIS2 Directive)

The NIS2 Directive expands cybersecurity rules to cover new sectors, such as telecoms providers, postal services, public administration, and healthcare. With these instruments, there are now modern rules in place securing the physical and digital aspects of critical infrastructure sectors, including energy, transport, health, space, telecommunications and digital.

Digital operation resilience act

The Digital Operational Resilience Act makes sure the financial sector in Europe is able to continue functioning at all times in case of operational disruption. With financial institutions depending increasingly on IT services, safeguards are necessary to mitigate cyberattacks and other risks.

Cyber resilience act

Meanwhile, the Cyber Resilience Act improves the level of cybersecurity of digital products. It introduces cybersecurity requirements for all hardware and software, from baby monitors, smart watches, and computer games to firewalls and routers.

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Combatting child sexual abuse

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We proposed a legislation to prevent and tackle child sexual abuse online, with strong safeguards to data protection and efficient processes. This is key to protect children in the real and online world.

In addition, the proposal to extend the definition of criminal offences related to child sexual abuse provides extra protection for children by reinforcing investigation and prosecution.

Tackling evolving threats

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We have acted to counter the rise of disinformation and misinformation, especially online.

We strengthened the Code of Practice on Disinformation which includes major technology companies, platforms and the civil society, and with the Digital Services Act we added means to prevent disinformation and illegal content from spreading online.

Fighting terrorism and organised crime

We have set out rules to fight new forms of trafficking in human beings; we have laid out a roadmap in the fight against criminal networks, notably those involved in drug trafficking.

Furthermore, to fight terrorism and prevent radicalisation, rules have been put in place requiring that online platforms remove online terrorist content within one hour.

Enhancing police cooperation to strengthen our security ecosystem

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We have boosted cross-border cooperation of police and law enforcement authorities.

Europol has been given a reinforced mandate to better support national authorities with information, analysis, and expertise; and Eurojust’s mandate has been strengthened to improve its capacity to support Member States in the investigation of serious cross-border crimes such as terrorism.

Enlarging and reinforcing the Schengen area

The protection and good functioning of our external borders is another core element of our security. We enabled the conditions that allowed the safe and successful enlargement of the Schengen area to Croatia, Romania, and Bulgaria, while at the same time updating its governance and its rules.

A yearly Schengen cycle identifies risks and security gaps combined with an updated Schengen Borders code. Amongst others, the new code defines a mechanism to introduce temporary travel restrictions at the external border in case of health emergencies, and gives Member States the means to fight the instrumentalisation of migrants by third-countries or non-State actors.

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Boosting the EU’s defence partnerships and capabilities

We have boosted our strong partnership with NATO, a key security partner in which 23 EU Member States are also present.

Through a new Joint Declaration on EU-NATO Cooperation, we are boosting our common work on hybrid threats, cyber, terrorism, and the security implications of climate change.

Moreover, we launched the EU-NATO Task Force on resilience of critical infrastructure, to better prevent common disruptions to essential services and address joint security challenges in the area of critical infrastructure.

Defence

With war back on the European continent, we are stepping up our defence capabilities to keep Europeans safe. We have taken bold steps towards a European Defence Union – to ensure that the EU is prepared for all scenarios – from traditional to hybrid, be it on land, at sea, in the air, in outer space or cyberspace.

With the European Defence Fund, the European defence industry reinforcement through common procurement act (EDIRPA), and the Act in Support of Ammunition Production (ASAP), we are mobilising Europe's defence industry to manufacture more of our security at home.

We presented the European Defence Industrial Strategy (EDIS) and the European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP), which adopt the logics of EDIRPA and ASAP for the longer term, ensuring that when it comes to defence, we invest more, better, together, and European.