European Union Critical Communication System
PURPOSE: to establish the European Union Critical Communication System (EUCCS).
PROPOSED ACT: Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council.
ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the European Parliament decides in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure and on an equal footing with the Council.
BACKGROUND: people facing emergency situations in the EU depend on a fast, efficient and professional response. Whether its forest fires, countering crime and terrorism, preserving the public order in case of incidents or attacks, or providing security for mass events, law enforcement authorities need to communicate seamlessly, exchange information in real time, and collaborate effectively between each other and across borders.
The effective functioning of the Schengen area depends on close cross-border law enforcement cooperation, underpinned by continuous and reliable communication and information exchange in cross-border operations, such as hot pursuits.
However, no system currently enables seamless cross-border cooperation between law enforcement authorities in the Schengen area. Member States’ critical communication systems operate largely independently, with differing technical approaches, limited interoperability and a lack of continuity of communications across internal borders.
It is therefore necessary to establish clear, harmonised and effective requirements at Union level, including common interoperability requirements and standards, to support the modernisation and interconnection of Member States’ critical communication systems.
CONTENT: therefore, the proposal establishes the European Union Critical Communication System (EUCCS) which interconnects, at Union level, the Member States’ critical communication systems used by competent law enforcement authorities to ensure secure and reliable connectivity for those systems. It aims to enhance Europe’s capacity to react swiftly and effectively to incidents and crises that require response across borders and by cooperation of different types of emergency services.
Given that Member States have different starting points and the transition into mission critical broadband will happen in different timelines. Therefore, a gradual approach in which Member States connect in three groups from 2030 onwards, with 2036 as the final date for transition and interconnection.
The proposals specific objectives aim to:
- promote interoperable and secure cross-border critical communication and operational mobility among emergency services, i.e. the ability of emergency services such as the police or law enforcement, firefighters and medical personnel to communicate without interruption at any time, wherever and with the person with whom they are required to cooperate;
- support Member States to deploy broadband critical communication systems. The ability to exchange data-rich information, such as images or video, across borders and in real time was highlighted as a central reason for the upgrade of the current legacy systems used, notably TETRA (Terrestrial Trunked Radio which is a global standard for digital radio technology). There is a need to transition to broadband to allow for the deployment of interoperable 5G mission-critical capabilities;
- facilitate the achievement of a high and consistent level of resilience of critical communications across Member States, i.e. the capacity of critical communication infrastructures to withstand, absorb and recover rapidly from natural hazards, man-made disasters or security incidents.
European Union components
The proposal sets out the European dimension of the light technical components of the system, namely the competences of the European Union Network monitoring centre and of the European Union Security Monitoring Centre. The system will be secure, protected against cyber and hybrid attacks using encryption, and a strong protocol.
- A European Union Network Monitoring Centre to oversee whether the system is working properly and is available and reliable. It will host the interconnection between Member States' national critical communication systems on a secure and resilient optical fibre network, so countries can connect through one central point instead of building many separate links with each other.
- A separate European Union Security Monitoring Centre will analyse cyber and security risks, assess threats and support Member States. It will not directly manage incidents.
Both centres would be created as virtual service entities using framework contract arrangements of the European Commission that are already today used for similar tasks for the Commission and other EU bodies. Where relevant, both centres could be supported with advice from ENISA.
European Union-level governance
The proposal also describes the governance at Union level. It sets out the European Union Critical Communication Group, consisting of Member States’ delegates, that will steer policy implementation, as well as the System Accreditation Board which will perform the technical accreditation of Member States’ critical communication systems to ensure readiness to join the EUCCS. A dedicated governance system ensures a strong role for Member States to safeguard their control over national systems, while providing clear and coherent guidance for the functioning of the EUCCS, as well as ensuring trust and verification of the accreditation, to support the future development of the System.