European Union-Cyber Power in the Making

This article investigates the challenges and limitations of an emerging European cyber security posture. The departure point for the analysis is embedded within the framework that rests on identifying four distinct forms of cyber power: compulsory, institutional, structural and productive. Tentative conclusions suggest that to be effective, the EU’s strategic approach must strike the right balance between all four forms. Additionally, a major challenge for the designers of EU cyber security posture will be accommodating the technology, which due to its characteristics challenges the established balance of power between and within states. Finally, international cooperation regarding two basic categories of cyber threats, whereby states are much more likely to succeed in tackling cyber crime than cyber espionage, must also be addressed.