In her introductory statement, Henna Virkkunen said she would work to strengthen the EU’s digital independence, make critical digital infrastructure more secure and increase competitiveness. She presented her plans to boost innovation and investment in frontier technologies, ensure security and a fair online space, close the digital skills gap, cut bureaucracy and increase investment in research.

Technological sovereignty and security

The Commissioner-designate committed to supporting investment and innovation in cyber-defence and to protect the EU’s critical infrastructure from hybrid attacks. Ms Virkkunen supported the idea of building a true defence union and stressed the importance of joint investments, with more details expected in an upcoming defence white paper. She said an action plan on cybersecurity will be presented soon and insisted that member states need to fully apply existing cybersecurity rules and do more to make critical infrastructure more secure.

Answering…