Description
The aim of this paper is to discuss how legal studies on cybersecurity in the EU will develop in view of the ever-changing and more internationalized cyberspace. Cybersecurity has become a key political topic and yet still not given enough attention by international studies’ as well as legal scholars. The Chapter will use qualitative data to present the legal measures that have been taken on board by the EU and the other main actors worldwide such as the US, China and Russia. The US and China are leaders in developing AI, 5G and IoT services, while the EU has been lagging behind. On the other hand, European legislation on the matter is fast-developing, while the other states have taken less restrictive legal approaches. In the EU, cybersecurity is always at the frontline when tackling the challenges of the digital agenda. The Union is a pioneer legislator because of the NIS Directive, the Cybersecurity Act, the proposal for European Cybersecurity Network and a Competence Centre, the Recommendation on 5G, etc. This level of complexity of legislation is not observed in the other countries analysed. It has also remained underestimated when studying the broader topic of security in the EU.
The question is will European academia become a leader in the field in the years to follow? Will international studies embrace the topic of cybersecurity as an important one or will it remain a side issue?
