Brussels — 29 June 2015 — At the start of the next trialogue meeting on the Network and Information Security (NIS) Directive, BSA | The Software Alliance called on European policymakers to take heed of the important work still to do.

“We understand the Council and Parliament want to move the proposed NIS Directive forward in trialogue discussions, and we support their desire to achieve a Directive that will deliver meaningful cybersecurity improvements in Europe,” said Thomas Boué, director of policy – EMEA for BSA. “However, we remain concerned that this is still not a functional piece of legislation and that the aim of effective harmonisation of security requirements across the 28 Member States will be jeopardised if the proposal remains a minimum harmonisation instrument.”

“Moreover, as policymakers negotiate the inclusion of internet enablers in the scope of the Directive, we urge them to make smart choices in order to ensure that this first attempt at cybersecurity legislation in Europe is not stretched so thin as to be ineffective in raising the level of protection for those networks and services that need protecting the most,” Boué continued. “The software industry stands ready to work alongside the Luxembourg Presidency to devise a sensible approach for the inclusion of internet enablers in those contexts where they are truly critical for the functioning of the economy and society, and to ensure that rules do not overburden such services as to be detrimental to the digital economy.”