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Today, the European Commission announced a proposal for the EU Cyber Solidarity Act, a €1.1 billion ($1.2 billion) plan that aims to strengthen cybersecurity capabilities across EU member states, creating a “European cybersecurity shield.”

In the announcement press release, the commission explained that “[t]he Cyber Solidarity Act establishes EU capabilities to make Europe more resilient and reactive in front of cyber threats.” One of these capabilities is the introduction of national and cross-border security operation centers (SOCs) across the continent to help member states detect and respond to cyberattacks and share warnings about incidents. 

The proposal comes as the geopolitical conflict surrounding the Russia-Ukraine war continues to unfold, with cyber threats facing EU nations’ private and public sectors. The announcement highlights that addressing cyber threats is becoming an international security concern.

“Today marks the proposal of a European cyber shield. To effectively detect, respond, and recover from large-scale cybersecurity threats, it is imperative that we invest substantially and urgently in cybersecurity capabilities. The Cyber Solidarity Act is a critical milestone in our journey towards achieving this objective,” said Thierry Breton, commissioner for internal market, in the official release. 

However some security experts are eager for the EU to go a step further and set a standard for defining cyber risks.

“The Cyber Solidarity Act is a welcome development in the ongoing effort to strengthen cybersecurity across the European Union. However, we urge policymakers to consider the inclusion of cyber-risk ratings as a designated service in the list of trusted cybersecurity providers certified by an EU label,” said Dan Morgan, senior government affairs director, Europe and APAC at Security Scorecard. 

While it remains to be seen whether the European Parliament and Council will support the proposed regulation going forward, the plan highlights that cyber-resilience is a key objective not just for the private sector, but also for international regulators.