NIS Directive has been adopted by the EU Commission

12. July 2016

On the 6th July 2016, the Vice-President of the EU Commission, Andrus Ansip, and Commissioner Günther H. Oettinger announced the approval of the NIS Directive, this is the Directive on Security of Network and Information Systems.

NIS Directive is one of the main legislative proposals in the context of the Cybersecurity Strategy developed by the EU and focuses on the following aspects:

  • The development of a national system to face cybersecurity attacks such as a Computer Security Incident Response (CSIRT) and a competent authority in cybersecurity issues.
  • A strategic cooperation mechanism between Member States and a development of a CSIRT Network in order to share information about risks.
  • To promote a culture of IT-security in all industry sectors, especially those identified as being “operators of essential services”. This also means to adopt adequate incident response plans. The Directive will apply also to digital service providers such as cloud computing, search engines and e-commerce businesses.

The Directive will enter into force in August 2016 and EU Member States will have 21 months to implement it into their national laws.