The European Council today adopted conclusions which set priorities and guidelines for EU cooperation in the field of countering hybrid threats and enhancing resilience to these threats, building on the progress made in recent years.

The Council notes the need for EU-NATO cooperation in this area.

According to EU ministers, hybrid threats should be taken into account when developing and using new technologies, in assessing the impact of foreign direct investment, or in preparing legislative changes. Ministers note the need to improve cooperation between national authorities and the EU institutions on all internal and external security issues.

The key objective is to protect national and European critical infrastructure as well as activities and services critical to the good functioning of states, the economy and society. The Council It underlines the need for sufficient resources for the three Stratcom Task Forces (East, Western Balkans, South) of the European External Action Service and invites the EEAS to assess the needs and possibilities for reinforcing its strategic communication work in other geographical areas, such as sub-Saharan Africa.

Ministers expect the European Commission to look for ways to better enforce the rules on curbing the spread of misinformation online and to consider legislation to introduce mandatory restrictions. The EU Council expects the Community institutions to come up with measures to combat hybrid threats and other malicious actions against the security of European telecommunications networks.