Comparative Analysis of the Legislation of the EU Countries on the Regulation of Critical information Infrastructure

Abstract

Critical Information Infrastructures are an integral component of contemporary society, encompassing indispensable services that form the foundation of our daily existence, such as healthcare, energy, water, and transportation. Given its vitality to societies, it has become a major concern for national security, as many governments strive to ensure that these infrastructures are not disrupted, or much worse, subject to debilitating cyberattacks. The present capstone project makes a comparative examination of the legislative frameworks governing the regulation of Critical Information Infrastructure in the European Union member states and Azerbaijan, while also looking into the experiences of other countries. The study has revealed that at the time of preparing the paper, the biggest issue in the Azerbaijani legislation pertains to the new national cybersecurity strategy that has been subject to many negotiations that have delayed its approval; however, there are other amplifying issues pertaining to the lack of cybersecurity specialists, lack of public awareness on cybersecurity, and limited research and development. To help the institutions compensate for the lack of guidance as brought about by the lengthy approval process, the project proposes the government to lay the preliminary groundwork for the critical information infrastructure protection, promotes research and development in cybersecurity, takes the necessary measures to increase public awareness on cybersecurity through inclusion of courses in curricula, and adopting certain international cybersecurity standards. The options are weighed against one another according to the five main criteria.