According to the European Commission’s proposal, Europe should take steps to build or modernize its submarine cable infrastructure. If necessary, state aid should be involved in this project.
These recommendations follow concerns about the vulnerability exposed by the damage to two telecommunications cables in the Baltic Sea last year. A gas pipeline connecting Estonia to Finland and several telecommunications cables were damaged when a ship dragged its anchor across the seabed.
Undersea cable infrastructures, which form the main backbone of the Internet, carrying more than 97% of the world’s data traffic, have become a hot topic of discussion amid escalating geopolitical conflicts. These concerns have prompted the EU executive to develop a roadmap, including measures to protect and secure the bloc’s submarine cables.
CPEI (Cable Projects of European Interest) refers to projects that are co-financed by the private sector and governments on easier terms. The document states that funding can come from EU programs, the European Investment Bank, National Development Banks, other public financial and development institutions, private sector financial institutions and private sector investors, and equity funds.
The document proposes a group of experts to help the Commission draw up a list of strategic CPEIs, facilitate information exchange between EU countries, and assess the risks, vulnerabilities and dependencies of submarine cable infrastructure, as well as propose mitigation measures.
«This Recommendation invites Member States to take measures to ensure that operators of submarine cable infrastructure meet the highest security standards (including defense level standards, where appropriate)», — the document says.
Source: reuters