EU prepares to fight cyber crime

The European Commission said yesterday it was drawing up a plan to fight cyber crime and that a recent wave of hacker attacks on major Internet sites would spur it to press ahead.

"These attacks create a clear sense of urgency to tackle this difficult issue as soon as possible," said Commission spokesman Mr Per Haugaard.

Mr Haugaard said the content of the EU executive's proposals was as yet unclear. The Commission will be holding a series of meetings with EU member-states and online firms in March to hammer out a policy document.

However, he said it was likely to suggest law enforcement authorities be trained in cyber crime prevention techniques and would aim to bring about improved cross-border co-operation between police forces.

He said the Commission was expected to adopt the policy document before the summer although it had not decided whether specific legislation on the issue was required.

The Commission said in a statement the policy document "would raise the awareness of the need for the use of effective security measures by service providers and access to the latest relevant technologies, including encryption."

It said it would be willing to fund projects in this area and noted that EU member-states had already begun to co-ordinate action to tackle cyber crime with the United States.