MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The move approves an informal agreement reached between the Council and the European Parliament in December. European lawmakers struck the cybersecurity deal with the Council to require internet giants and companies that play an essential role in society guarantee the safety of their infrastructure and report any security violations.
"On 17 May 2016, the Council formally adopted new rules to step up the security of network and information systems across the EU… [The directive] lays down security obligations for operators of essential services (in critical sectors such as energy, transport, health and finance) and for digital service providers (online marketplaces, search engines and cloud services)," the Council said in a statement published on its website.
EU officials estimate that security incidents caused by human and technical error, as well as malicious acts, cost the bloc up to $370 billion annually. The European Commission first proposed the Network and Information Security Directive in 2013.
