1. Economic and social cohesion in the Western Balkans - cybersecurity
Pierre Jean COULON
President
Section for Transport, Energy, Infrastructure and the Information Society

2. Civil society organisations (CSOs) are conducting an unprecedented dialogue with the European institutions on digitalisation
2012: EESC opinion, General Data Protection Regulation (SOC/455)
2015: EESC opinion on the Digital Single Market Strategy for Europe (TEN/574)
2017: EESC opinion on Strengthening Europe's cyber resilience system (TEN/608)
2017: EESC opinion on Building a European Data Economy (TEN/630)
2018: EESC opinion on the Cybersecurity Act (TEN/646), preceded by the first public hearing of its kind bringing together ENISA, the standards authorities (CEN, CENELEC, ETSI), European consumers (BEUC) and a European search engine (QWANT) etc.

3. The importance of digitalisation
In relation to:
governance (voting, online petitions etc);
access to information;
new “smart” practices (ICT, transport, energy/smart meters) - cf smart cities and islands
etc.

4. However, digitalisation also poses many threats
cybercrime (phishing);
cyberattacks (viruses - WannaCry, Petya);
fake news;
but also
security in the Internet of Things
impact of digitalisation of the economy on jobs (cf. report, Davos Forum 2016).

5. Cybersecurity: the EU counter-attacks!
Since 2012: ENISA has developed a European information campaign entitled European Cyber Security Month (ECSM):
13/9/2017: In his State of the Union address delivered at the European Parliament, the president of the European Commission announced a vigorous European response to cyberattacks (Wannacry, Petya), which had revealed Europe's vulnerability arising from its dependence on technologies developed by third countries.
A legislative package was proposed:
building on the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA);
putting in place an EU-wide certification framework for cyber-secure products and services;
creating, by means of a directive, a criminal-law response, particularly regarding the collection of the “electronic evidence” left by criminals.
developing and disseminating the concept of “cyber hygiene”.

6. Cybersecurity and the Western Balkans - TEN/646
On the subject of cooperation the EESC recommends that "an ad-hoc strategy for accession countries should be envisaged to prepare for the exchange of sensitive cross-border data, including the possibility to participate, as observers, in some activities of ENISA countries".

7. 2018 Open Day: the EESC raises public awareness:
Cybersecurity is a neologism denoting all the laws, instruments and practices ensuring the protection of persons and IT terminals and systems (smartphones, computers and tablets, infrastructure such as electricity and water distribution networks etc.) against cyberattacks.
Members of the public and CSOs also have a part to play and responsibilities as users!
Just as hygiene plays a part in public health, the idea of cyber hygiene is gradually beginning to spread as a result of new patterns of behaviour and individual reflexes which contribute to common cybersecurity.