The NIS2 Directive: A high common level of cybersecurity in the EU [EU Legislation in Progress]

Written by Mar Negreiro (4th edition, updated on 08.02.2023),

The Network and Information Security (NIS) Directive is the first piece of EU-wide legislation on cybersecurity, and its specific aim was to achieve a high common level of cybersecurity across the Member States. While it increased the Member States’ cybersecurity capabilities, its implementation proved difficult, resulting in fragmentation at different levels across the internal market.

To respond to the growing threats posed with digitalisation and the surge in cyber-attacks, the Commission has submitted a proposal to replace the NIS Directive and thereby strengthen the security requirements, address the security of supply chains, streamline reporting obligations, and introduce more stringent supervisory measures and stricter enforcement requirements, including harmonised sanctions across the EU. The proposed expansion of the scope covered by NIS2, by effectively obliging more entities and sectors to take measures, would assist in increasing the level of cybersecurity in Europe in the longer term.

Within the European Parliament, the file was assigned to the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy. The committee adopted its report on 28 October 2021, while the Council agreed its position on 3 December 2021. The co-legislators reached a provisional agreement on the text on 13 May 2022. The political agreement was formally adopted by the Parliament and then the Council in November 2022. It entered into force on 16 January 2023, and Member States now have 21 months, until 17 October 2024, to transpose its measures into national law.

Complete version

• February 2022: The NIS2 Directive: A high common level of cybersecurity in the EU (4th edition)