Dive Brief:
- EU lawmakers and member states reached a deal on the bloc's first cybersecurity law yesterday. Reuters reported.
- The law will force Internet firms to report serious breaches or face sanctions.
- The deal was reached in response to increasing concerns about cyberattacks.
Dive Insight:
The new law is known as the Network and Information Security Directive. The European Commission's digital chief Andrus Ansip said it is designed to build consumers' trust in Internet services.
"The internet knows no border -- a problem in one country can have a knock-on effect in the rest of Europe,” said Ansip. “This is why we need EU-wide cybersecurity solutions. This agreement is an important step in this direction.”
The law sets out security and reporting obligations for companies in “critical” sectors such as transport, energy, health and finance. Web firms, meanwhile, will be required to notify serious incidents to national authorities. The national authorities will then impose sanctions on companies that fail to do so.
