Horizontal Working Party on Cyber Issues (Cyber)

Role

The Horizontal Working Party on Cyber Issues (Cyber) is tasked with coordinating the Council's work related to EU cyber policies and legislation.

Its main objectives are:

• ensuring a harmonised and unified approach to cyber policy issues
• ensuring progress in the cyber domain and keeping up with cyber threats
• sharing information on cyber issues among EU countries and national bodies
• setting EU cyber priorities and strategic objectives and representing the EU in line with them

The Cyber working party cooperates closely with other relevant Council working parties, EU institutions and EU agencies and bodies: the European Commission, the European External Action Service (EEAS), the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol), the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre (ECCC) and the Cybersecurity Service for the Union Institutions, Bodies, Offices and Agencies (CERT-EU).

Composition and meetings

The Cyber working party is composed of national experts from EU member states as well as cyber attachés.  

It is chaired by the rotating presidency and usually meets 8 times a month or twice a week.

It was established in 2016.