[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

[FYI] The CEC is currently working on a Communication on cybercrime



http://europa.eu.int/rapid/start/cgi/guesten.ksh?p_action.gettxt=gt&do
c=SPEECH/00/344|0|RAPID&lg=EN

----------------------------- CUT -------------------------------

Erkki LIIKANEN Member of the European Commission responsible for 
Enterprise and the Information Society "Trust and security in 
electronic communications: The European contribution" Information 
Security Solutions Europe Conference "ISSE 2000" Barcelona, 29 
September 2000  


 DN: SPEECH/00/344     Date: 2000-10-02


     TXT: EN
     PDF: EN
     Word Processed: EN

SPEECH/00/344 

Erkki LIIKANEN 

Member of the European Commission responsible for Enterprise and the 
Information Society  

"Trust and security in electronic communications: The European 
contribution" 

Information Security Solutions Europe Conference "ISSE 2000" 

Barcelona, 29 September 2000

[...]

3. FIGHTING CYBERCRIME 

Does this mean that we can focus our attention on other information 
society issues? I'm afraid no. Another pressing issue for us is to 
step up the fight against cybercrime.  

Prevention is essential. Thanks to the new legal environment, we can 
hope that security technologies will take care of most of the job. 
But if, and when, a major security threat arises, public authorities 
must have the means to strike back.  

One thing is clear: in the Internet age - which is a borderless age - 
this is not something that can be done in isolation. Thus, 
governments must urgently reinforce their collaboration in the fight 
against cybercrime  

Important international efforts have been undertaken, in particular 
by the G8 and the Council of Europe. But there are two main reasons 
why we should, in parallel, step up our efforts within the EU:  

First, making headway at international level is always a complex and 
time-consuming process. Conflicting national interests can be at 
stake, and inter-governmental negotiations are always difficult. But 
within the EU, we share the same interests. And we are used to 
working together, on the basis of well-oiled mechanisms. So we can go 
further and faster.  

Second, the good work we can do within the EU can have a positive 
impact at international level. EU countries can present a united 
front. And they can set an example that can foster greater 
international collaboration. In sum, we should create fast and 
efficient mechanisms amongst EU Member States, which could then be 
extended - at least partly - at international level.  

The Commission is currently working on a Communication on cybercrime 
which aims to set orientations for the future. Hopefully, we will be 
as successful as we were with our Communication on cryptography of 
1997: starting from scratch, we secured the Internal Market for 
security in a matter of three years.  

But whatever action we undertake, the philosophy that must prevail is 
that the Internet is - and must remain - an area of freedom. Paranoia 
and fear should not blind us.  

Hence the necessity to strike the right balance between, on the one 
hand, the freedom to move and undertake freely on the Internet, and 
on the other, the necessity to sometimes restrain this very freedom 
to defeat crime. Thus, the instruments that law enforcement agencies 
use must be carefully circumscribed, and be based on very precise 
rules.  

4. SUPPORTING INDUSTRY EFFORTS 

Is there anything else the Commission can do besides all that? Yes, 
there is. We have a lot of leverage power, both trough our financial 
capacity and through our political influence. We will continue to put 
this power at the service of the European security industry and 
citizens in the following ways:  

First, by supporting industry efforts through the Information Society 
Technology Programme. That concerns in particular the development of 
privacy-enhancing technologies, standardisation and interoperability. 
A main focus of our action is smartcards which, beyond being a major 
European strength, is a leading technology for a secure key 
management. This also concerns technologies which do not yet present 
a major commercial interest for industry, for instance in the area of 
electronic democracy.  

Second, we support the development of security platforms based on 
open-source software. The aim is to help the security industry bypass 
the obstacles created by proprietary software - in particular for 
desk-top security.  

[...]  

----------------------------- CUT -------------------------------