The mandate of the European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA) has been extended

European Commission welcomes European Parliament’s vote to extend mandate of ENISA and strengthen EU Cybersecurity

Brussels, 19-4-2013 — /europawire.eu/ — The European Commission welcomes the vote of the European Parliament in a plenary session today to extend the mandate of the European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA).

Today’s vote (626 for, 45 against) is the conclusion of lengthy political discussions between Council and the European Parliament. A political agreement was reached at the end of January 2013, and EU Ministers formally endorsed the Regulation on 8 February. The new Regulation (see MEMO/10/459) grants ENISA a new 7 year mandate. This is particularly significant given the important role the agency will play in the implementation of the EU Cybersecurity Strategy adopted by the European Commission in January (see IP/13/94).

ENISA will retain its seat in Heraklion, Crete, but will also have a branch office in Athens which brings it closer to its stakeholders and makes the agency more efficient.

European Commission Vice-President Neelie Kroes said: “Today’s vote offers a new start for a new Enisa: with expanded tasks, a more agile and efficient organization and governance. This will help secure European networks and information systems, in line with our cybersecurity strategy.”

The final step after today’s vote is the publication of the Regulation in the Official Journal.

ENISA was established in 2004 and started its operations in Crete in 2005. Today, the agency is well established and offers a unique portfolio of cybersecurity services including organising Europe-wide cybersecurity exercises (see IP/12/1062), assisting in the set-up of Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs), providing independent analysis of cyber threats, statutory reporting and analysis of major cyber incidents in Europe and advising the private sector on secure business models for IT.

Under the recently proposed EU Cybersecurity Strategy and NIS Directive, ENISA will have a key role in ensuring cybersecurity and establishing Network and Information Security (NIS) standards to support an internationally competitive NIS industry.

Useful links

www.enisa.europa.eu

Digital Agenda

Neelie Kroes

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