Ireland to participate in cyber-threat network

The Cabinet has approved Ireland’s participation in a European Defence Agency (EDA) project to improve cyber-threat response and information exchange with other member countries.

Tánaiste and Minister for Defence

Micheál Martin secured Government approval for the project which aims to facilitate information exchange and improve the response to cyber threats to EU member states’ defence structures. The EDA said this network of national cyber-threat response teams will enhance the level of cooperation in the cyber domain at EU level, at a time when computer networks are increasingly contested and the number of cyber-attacks against the EU continues to grow. It said cyberattacks have increased exponentially in the past few years, having serious political, financial, and economic consequences across Europe and beyond. said the move will have both a direct and knock-on effect on consumers, making transport and goods more expensive. "If this fuel is being used for carrying product to the supermarket, then the only one who can pay for it is the consumer," the group's chairperson Michael Kilcoyne said.

Participation in these EDA projects will now be subject to Dáil approval.