Governments ask EU Commission to beef up cybersecurity agency Enisa

National governments have asked the European Commission to strengthen the role of the EU’s cyber agency ENISA, according to draft conclusions from a meeting of diplomats held in Brussels this week seen by Euronews. 

The governments said that an upcoming evaluation of the EU’s Cybersecurity Act (CSA) — which entered into force in 2019 and gave ENISA a mandate to oversee the implementation of EU-wide cybersecurity rules — should be used as an opportunity to examine how the agency's resources should be used effectively.

ENISA’s responsibilities have significantly grown as a result of by several recent cybersecurity initiatives, including NIS 2, the Cyber Resilience Act and the Cyber Solidarity Act, as well as by the growing complexity of cyber threats, the text says. 

“[This] should be reflected in adequate resources – human, financial and technical – in order to fully enable the agency to execute all the tasks under its competence, without pre-empting the negotiation of the Multiannual Financial Framework,” the countries say. 

The Athens-based agency, which has just over 100 staff members, works with the Commission and the 27 EU member states to strengthen the bloc’s cyber policy. It’s also tasked to increase the trustworthiness of ICT products through certification. 

The governments also called upon the Commission to ensure that ENISA’s mandate to support national governments is "focused and clearly defined, with concrete strategic objectives".

Telecom ministers are expected to greenlight the conclusions during their meeting in Brussels on 6 December, following the approval by diplomats this week. 

Enisa became the centre of political controversy surrounding voluntary certifications for cloud services (EUCS) — which companies can use to show compliance — after being tasked by the Commission in 2019 to lead discussions on the scheme. An agreement on EUCS has still not been found and will be taken up when the new Commission takes office on 1 December.

Incoming Tech Commissioner Henna Virkkunen is set to oversee the debate. According to her mission letter, sent by President Ursula von der Leyen, she will have to “contribute to strengthening cybersecurity”, notably by improving the adoption processes of such schemes.