Josep Borrell – Security Architectures in the EU

The German Armed Forces are leading an EU project to coordinate „hackbacks“. Information gathering will be taken over by „cyber intelligence services“.

The European Union is to strengthen its cyber defence capabilities, including the development of „active defence capabilities“. These are then to be deployed jointly in the event of a digital attack on a member state. This is according to a communication on the „EU Policy on Cyber Defence“ issued by EU Foreign Affairs and Security Commissioner Josep Borrell and the Commission on Wednesday. The justification given is the „deteriorating security environment“ following the Russian attack on Ukraine. The EU, its citizens and infrastructures need to be strengthened against a growing number of cyber attacks, the document says. Examples are attacks on energy networks, transport infrastructures and space assets. „Military and secret services: EU gears up for cyber attacks“ weiterlesen

The EU mission EUBAM, which was actually set up to support border management, is building up a counter-terrorism „analysis unit“. This includes equipping it with analytical software.

The European Union wants to support the government in Libya in building up intelligence structures. A Libyan „National Counter-Terrorism Team“ (NCTT) is to set up an „analysis unit“ for this purpose, which will „focus on intelligence gathering and analysis work“. This is what the EU Commission writes in the name of its High Representative and Vice-President, Josep Borrell, in the answer to a parliamentary question by the German MEP Özlem Demirel. The new unit in Libya is then to cooperate „with the international community more effectively“.

However, Libya has been criticised for years for violating basic human rights, for example in the area of migration policy. Refugees who are intercepted on the high seas are put into prisons en masse, where they are mistreated or tortured. In the country, which is repeatedly affected by civil wars, political opposition is also life-threatening. „Dissident voices are suppressed, independent media or activists have to go into exile or risk prison,“ Italian investigative journalist Sara Creta tells after being asked on the situation in Libya.

Under the guise of fighting terrorism, political opponents could also be spied on with the new anti-terror unit. Initially, however, the focus will be on so-called „foreign fighters“ of the Islamic State. „Connecting Europol and Interpol: EU provides more surveillance in Libya“ weiterlesen