Lords call for greater EU/Nato cyber security co-operation

The EU has been told to look at cyber security in a more global context

The House of Lords has called on the EU and Nato to take urgent steps to improve co-operation on cyber security and to better co-ordinate their efforts with those of other world powers.

A new report from The House of Lords European Union Committee published today looks at the role the EU can play in helping the UK and other member states to prevent and detect cyber-attacks.

However, the committee said it was shocked by the lack of co-operation between the EU and Nato on cyber security matters, noting that there is considerable overlap between the two institutions.

Chairman of the Sub-Committee on Home Affairs, Lord Jopling, argued that the government and the EU should think about their cyber security strategies in a more global context.

"A first step must be better co-operation with Nato. The EU and Nato have similar interests in defence against cyber-attacks and work in similar ways, yet there is virtually no communication between them. There must be co-operation rather than duplication,” he added.

"Further to this, broadening the dialogue with other major international players, such as the US, Russia and China will be essential if we are to become more robust in our defences against cyber attacks.”

The report also uncovered a worrying disparity in the level of preparedness against cyber-attacks displayed by various EU nations.

It recommended that each member state run at least one national resilience exercise by the end of 2010, with subsequent pan-European exercises to follow. It also proposed extending the mandate of the European Network and Information Security Agency (Enisa).