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| EU ministers said the 28-nation group would, for the first time, be able to impose asset freezes and travel bans on individuals, firms and state bodies implicated in cyberattacks (AFP Photo/Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV) |
Brussels (AFP) - The European Union on Friday adopted powers to punish those outside the bloc who launch cyberattacks that cripple hospitals and banks, sway elections and steal company secrets or funds.
EU
ministers meeting in Brussels said the 28-nation group would now, for the first
time, be able to impose asset freezes and travel bans on individuals, firms and
state bodies implicated in such attacks.
"The
Council (of EU countries) established a framework which allows the EU to impose
targeted restrictive measures to deter and respond to cyberattacks," it
said in a statement.
It added
that sanctions will be considered if a cyberattack is determined to have had a
"significant impact" on its target.
The goal is
to bolster the security of EU institutions, firms and individuals against what
Britain called an increase in the "scale and severity" of
cyberattacks globally.
"This
is decisive action to deter future cyberattacks," British Foreign
Secretary Jeremy Hunt said after Britain and its EU partners drafted the
measures.
"For
too long now, hostile actors have been threatening the EU’s security through
disrupting critical infrastructure, attempts to undermine democracy and
stealing commercial secrets and money running to billions of euros," Hunt
said.
"Our
message to governments, regimes and criminal gangs prepared to carry out
cyberattacks is clear," Britain's top diplomat added.
"Together,
the international community will take all necessary steps to uphold the rule of
law and the rules based international system which keeps our societies safe.”
The British
government has pledged to continue close cooperation with the EU after it
leaves the bloc in line with the 2016 referendum.
'Big step
forward'
Under the
sanctions regime, diplomats said, the 28 EU countries would have to vote
unanimously to impose sanctions after meeting a legal threshold of significant
impact.
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British
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt (pictured April 2019) said that "the
international
community will take all necessary steps to uphold the rule of
law" (AFP Photo/Daniel
LEAL-OLIVAS)
|
For
example, countries would look at the scope and severity of disruption to
economic and other activities, essential services, critical state functions,
public order or public safety, diplomats said.
They would
examine the number of people and EU countries affected and determine how much
money, intellectual property and data have been stolen.
EU
diplomats told reporters it could also cover the hacking of European elections
by a third party or country. Elections for a new European Parliament take place
May 23-26.
In line
with US intelligence assessments, EU officials highlight in particular the
threat of disinformation and election hacking from Russia.
EU
countries would also study how much the perpetrator has gained through such
action.
A Dutch
diplomat told reporters that the powers amount to a "big step
forward" toward building a more secure cyberspace.
European
leaders in October had called for a regime to impose sanctions against
cyberattacks.
US and
European police said Thursday they have smashed a huge international cybercrime
network that used Russian malware to steal 100 million dollars from tens of
thousands of victims worldwide.
EU
diplomats said the bloc will now start drawing up a blacklist for potential
sanctions in cyberattack cases.
A number of
powerful people close to Russian President Vladimir Putin appear on a blacklist
of 164 Russians and Ukrainians that was established after Moscow's annexation
of the Crimean peninsula in 2014.
Those
blacklisted are under travel bans and asset freezes just like those that would
be imposed on those implicated in cyberattacks.
