German Government Approves Draft Law to Strengthen Protection of Critical Infrastructure
November 6, 2024
Berlin, Germany – The German government has approved a draft law aimed at strengthening the protection of critical infrastructure in the country. The law, known as the “Critical Infrastructure Protection Amendment Act,” will introduce a number of new measures to improve the resilience of critical infrastructure against cyberattacks, physical attacks, and other threats.
The draft law was presented by the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Homeland Security (BMI) and was approved by the Federal Cabinet on Wednesday. It now needs to be passed by the Bundestag (German Parliament) and the Bundesrat (Federal Council) before it can become law.
The new law will introduce a number of changes to the existing Critical Infrastructure Protection Act (CIPA), which was passed in 2015. These changes include:
- Expanding the definition of critical infrastructure to include new sectors such as cloud computing, data centers, and the food supply chain.
- Increasing the reporting requirements for critical infrastructure operators to provide the government with more information about their systems and vulnerabilities.
- Establishing a new national cybersecurity agency to coordinate the protection of critical infrastructure.
- Providing more funding for critical infrastructure protection measures.
The new law is in response to the increasing number of cyberattacks and other threats against critical infrastructure in recent years. In 2022, there were over 1,000 reported cyberattacks on critical infrastructure in Germany, up from just over 500 in 2021.
The government has said that the new law is necessary to protect the country’s critical infrastructure from these threats and to ensure that essential services can continue to be provided in the event of an attack.
“Critical infrastructure is essential for our daily lives and for the functioning of our economy,” said Interior Minister Nancy Faeser. “This law will help us to protect these vital systems and ensure that they can continue to operate even in the face of threats.”
The new law has been welcomed by industry groups and security experts.
“This law is a welcome step in the right direction,” said Klaus-Dieter Frankenberger, president of the German IT Security Association (TeleTrusT). “It will help to improve the resilience of our critical infrastructure and make it more difficult for attackers to disrupt essential services.”
The law is expected to be passed by the Bundestag and Bundesrat before the end of the year. It will then come into force in early 2025.
The AI has provided us with the news.
I’ve asked Google Gemini the following question, and here’s its response.
Neue Inhalte a new article on 2024-11-06 11:24 titled “Pressemitteilung: Bundesregierung beschließt Gesetzentwurf zum stärkeren Schutz kritischer Infrastrukturen”. Please write a detailed article on this news item, including any relevant information. Answers should be in English.
93