15:43 16.10.2018

EU strengthening anti-threat tools amid attacks on OPCW, pending elections - source

2 min read
EU strengthening anti-threat tools amid attacks on OPCW, pending elections - source

At the EU summit on internal security, which will take place on October 17-18, European states will pledge to response firmly to any threats, a senior European official told the press in Brussels on Tuesday on condition of anonymity.

The official said this will be done in the context of attacks on the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in The Hague and the European elections of May 2019.

The Council of the European Union is considering ways to avert cyber attacks with restrictive measures, the official said.

The official lauded the European Commission's initiative to combat misinformation in the light of the European elections of 2019.

According to summit materials, the European leaders will discuss the EU's resilience to various threats.

The official told the press there has not been word that any EU country objects to countermeasures against cyber attacks.

The official said there are no plans to discuss any particular attack, but that the EU would be provided with the tools it needs to avert cyber attacks in the future.

The official said that the initiative was met with broad support at meetings he or she held with EU ambassadors last week.

The press asked whether the new restrictions might be used as a pretext to resume dialogue on additional sanctions against Russia, as some attacks "either came from Russia or supported by it."

The official said the EU's intentions were clear: it needs a set of tools it can use to deter such attacks, no matter who orchestrates them. This measure is not targeted at Russia; the idea is to arm the EU to deal with future attacks, the official said.

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