The European Parliament adopted by 480 votes to 70, with 60 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the European Centre for European Cybersecurity Industrial, Technology and Research Competence Centre and Network of National Coordination Centres.
The position of the European Parliament adopted at first reading in the framework of the ordinary legislative procedure amended the Commission proposal as follows:
Parliament recalled that in 2017, 80 % of the European companies experienced at least one cyber incident making it necessary to adopt the highest standards and comprehensive cyber security solutions.
The objectives of the proposed Regulation would be to strengthen the Union's competitiveness and capabilities in cybersecurity, and to reduce its digital dependency by improving the uptake of cybersecurity products, processes and services developed within the Union.
The European Competence Centre and the network of national coordination centres established by the Regulation shall contribute to overall resilience and awareness of cyber security threats in the Union, taking into account the implications for society.
Members clarified the missions and tasks of the Competence Centre, including:
National Coordination Centres
A National Coordination Centre shall be set up in each Member State.
The relationship between the Competence Centre and the national coordination centres shall be based on a standard contractual agreement signed between the Competence Centre and each of the national coordination centres.
National Centres shall cooperate closely with national standards bodies to promote the adoption of existing standards and to involve all relevant stakeholders, in particular SMEs, in the development of new standards. They shall also serve as a one-stop shop for products and processes funded by other EU programmes and provide a minimum common curriculum on cybersecurity.
Cybersecurity Competence Community
The Cybersecurity Competence Community contributes to the mission of the Competence Centre and disseminates cybersecurity expertise across the Union.
The Competence Community shall include civil society, industry, both on the demand and supply side, including SMEs, academia and science, user associations, individual experts, relevant European standards bodies and other associations, as well as public entities and other entities dealing with operational and technical issues in the field of cybersecurity.
Governing structure
The Governing Board shall be composed of one representative from each Member State, one representative appointed by the European Parliament as an observer, and four representatives of the Commission, on behalf of the Union, and shall aim to achieve gender balance between the members of the Governing Board and their alternates.
The Centre and its bodies shall ensure that conflicts of interest are not only identified, but are resolved and addressed in a transparent and accountable manner. Member States shall ensure that the same applies to national coordination centres.
The Industry and Scientific Advisory Committee, composed of a maximum of 25 members, would regularly advise the Competence Centre on the execution of its activities.
Financial contribution of the Union
This shall amount to EUR 1 780 954 875 at 2018 prices (EUR 1 998 696 000 in current prices) from the Digital Europe programme, including up to EUR 21 385 465 at 2018 prices (EUR 23 746 000 in current prices) for administrative costs. It shall also include an amount from the European Defence Fund for the defence-related actions of the Competence Centre.