The European Commission has proposed legislation to establish a Critical Infrastructure Warning Information Network (CIWIN) to strengthen information-sharing on critical infrastructure protection between EU Member States.

Vice-president of the Commission, Jacques Barrot, stated: "This proposal represents one of the cornerstones of the European Programme for Critical Infrastructure Protection and an important step forward in creating a functioning Critical Infrastructure Protection Community in the European Union."

The proposed legislation sets up a secure information technology system managed by the Commission and hosted by the Joint Research Centre in Ispra - CIWIN - with the aim of assisting EU Member States in exchanging good practices and information on shared threats, vulnerabilities and activities to protect critical infrastructure.

CIWIN will be established as a voluntary information technology tool to contain and transmit sensitive information. The system will have two main functions:

* A secure forum for the exchange of information, with strong emphasis on the exchange of best practices, dialogue and the building of trust at EU level;

* A rapid alert system for critical infrastructure that enables EU Member States and the Commission to post alerts on immediate risks and threats.

Member States will be free to use the entire system, to choose between the functions offered, or not to use the system at all. Their participation to the system will be conditional upon the signature of an agreement with the Commission.

•Date: 28th October 2008• Region: UK/Europe •Type: Article •Topic: BC general
Rate this article or make a comment - click here