“5G will certainly be in there.”
– Peter Stuckmann, head of unit at the European Commission in charge of future connectivity systems, speaking about the EU’s upcoming ‘Digital Decade’ targets.
Story of the week: The Commission’s ‘Digital Decade’ objectives for 2030 will be presented on 9 March. We look at what could be in store for next-generation telecommunications.
Podcast: This week, we take a look at what’s in store for the future of 5G in the EU, with a particular focus on recent developments in France.
Don’t miss: We caught up with Gilles de Kerchove, the EU’s Counter-Terrorism Coordinator this week. He’s very keen on pushing for quick adoption of new rules that would allow authorities based in one EU nation to issue order requests to online service providers based in other member states, for access to electronic data to be used in criminal prosecutions, as part of the e-Evidence regulation.
Extremists and terrorists use pandemic to ‘sell’ their messages, Europol chief warns 26-02-2021
“What we can see is that all these groups, extremists, terrorists, are also locked at home, subject to prevention measures. It can be said that they had difficulties in finding training sites, identifying possible suitable targets or acting, because they could not leave home,” De Bolle said. [EPA/EFE]
You can subscribe here.
///
‘Strategic autonomy’ strikes again. This time at the EU summit.
EU leaders on Friday (26 February) debated efforts aimed at beefing up the bloc’s defence capabilities and reaffirmed their old vows to slowly develop a joint European military-industrial complex.
However, ambitions of the EU’s role as a ‘geopolitical actor’ remain unheeded as deep divisions remain between member states who see NATO as the main pillar of the continent’s security, and others pushing for a more autonomous path.
How much “strategic autonomy” does the EU need?
French President Emmanuel Macron has been pushing for the EU to stand on its own feet when it comes to security, and no longer rely solely on US military protection.
Cybercriminals exploit Coronavirus and remote working response Adam Such, President and Chief Operating Officer, Communication Security Group
Adam Such, President and Chief Operating Officer, Communication Security Group
Cybercriminals are capitalising on the Covid-19 driven move to work-from-home. Global authorities are urging businesses to be vigilant and do whatever they can to combat this threat. The FBI has issued a public service announcement stating “Scammers are leveraging the COVID-19 pandemic to steal your money, your personal information, or both. Don’t let them.”
In addition to issuing their own warning about the vulnerability of teleworking, the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) cited the example of a hospital in the Czech Republic that reported a cyberattack which “forced the hospital to shut down its entire IT network, postpone urgent surgical interventions and re-route new acute patients to a nearby hospital.