EU Parl. VP Kaili to Commission: A huge amount of transactions through submarine cables exposed to hybrid attacks

“The attacks on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines call into question the safety of the underwater infrastructure and show that we must act immediately”, said the Vice-President of the EP, Eva Kaili, in her question to the European Commission.

As she points out, their integrity is decisive for the European economy and society, asking the EU for a clear framework to safeguard it.

At the same time, underlining that online data is transferred through submarine cables that help facilitate transactions worth approximately 10 trillion dollars daily, she callrd on the Commission to take measures to ensure that financial transactions are not disrupted.

According to the Greek MEP, in the effort to ensure the integrity of the underwater infrastructure, international allies such as NATO can contribute, calling on the EU to work closely with the North Atlantic Alliance in this particular field.

A few days after Eva Kaili’s intervention was filed, the Commission announced that it will focus on strengthening the resilience of European infrastructures in the same direction.

The following is the full text of the question of the Vice-President of the European Parliament, Eva Kaili:

Protection of vital underwater internet cables after Nord Stream explosions
10.10.2022

Priority question for written answer P-003328/2022
to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
Rule 138
Eva Kaili (S&D)

On 26 September 2022, German authorities confirmed that they had detected a sudden loss of pressure along the Nord Stream 1 and 2[1] pipelines. Investigations conducted by the Danish and Swedish authorities in the days following the attack suggest that the loss of pressure was the result of a deliberate attack on Europe’s undersea gas networks. This sabotage is likely to be linked with the Ukraine war[2].

Although the investigations to identify the perpetrators of the attacks are currently proving to be cumbersome, there is concern about the security and integrity of the underwater infrastructure that is critical for the European economy and society. More specifically, there are 16 underwater cables running under the Atlantic, which connect the US with multiple EU Member States. These cables transfer vast amounts of internet data between the two continents and help facilitate global financial transactions worth approximately USD 10 trillion dollars every day[3].

Therefore, I would like to ask the VP/HR:

1. Does the EU have a framework to ensure the security and integrity of critical undersea infrastructure?
2. Has the Commission taken any measures to safeguard the underwater transfer of data and facilitation of financial transactions?
3. What efforts has the Commission made to cooperate in this field with international allies such as NATO?