International Interdependency of C(I)IP in Europe (Internationale Verflechtung von C(I)IP in Europa)

Modern societies are increasingly dependent on a set of critical products and services which comprise the Critical (Information) Infrastructure. Critical (Information) Infrastructures exist at different levels of scale, from services that are critical to local organisations and communities, to a single nation or to multiple nations. This paper derives from earlier national studies which critical products and services comprise the Critical (Information) Infrastructure of neighbouring European nations, European regions, and Europe as a whole. We determine which critical infrastructures have strong international dependencies. Protection efforts already exist for several cross-border infrastructures. Regulation at European level should only be applied with care as the adverse effect may occur. A common European approach in critical infrastructure protection, however, can be beneficial. Finally, this paper discusses the current international protection efforts in these critical infrastructures and states some recommendations and conclusions