News Updates for 29 March

EU Proposes Stronger Defence Shield Against Cyberattacks

With concerns rising that Russia will deploy state-sanctioned hackers in retaliation for sanctions, the European Commission said the EU's 27 member states need stronger measures to protect against cyberattacks on government agencies and business.

Cyberattacks from a variety of sources are a constant threat to EU infrastructure. Greece's postal service was recently disrupted, although officials have said that they do not suspect Russian involvement in that case.

The fear is that hackers, especially those backed by governments, could disrupt essential services ranging from electric grids to water supplies and steal sensitive information in data breaches.

“In a connected environment, a single cybersecurity incident can affect an entire organization. This is why it is critical to build a strong shield against cyber threats and incidents that could disturb our capacity to act," Budget Commissioner Johannes Hahn said.

The proposed draft Cybersecurity Regulation would create a duty for all EU institutions, bodies and agencies to identify cybersecurity risks, set up a plan to improve their defences, do regular assessments and share details about any incidents. A Cybersecurity Board would monitor implementation of the rules when they are adopted.

Turkish Journalist Charged for Reporting Erdogan Son's Ties to Influential NGO

Turkey is one of the most dangerous countries in which to be a journalist. In 2021, it was placed 153rd out of 180 countries in RSF’s Press Freedom Index. Now investigative reporter Metin Cihan faces up to six years in prison for revealing inappropriately close links between a political Islamist NGO and he family of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s.

Cihan, who is now based in Germany, reported that the Turkish Youth Foundation (TUGVA) has Erdogan family members on its board and that it has used its influence with Turkey’s president to have its members appointed to key posts in government, police and the military.

Speaking to the the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) about the case against him, Cihan said: “The case was not a surprise. As we’ve got used to, they do not punish the people who commit crimes but the ones who reveal them.”

The source who shared documents with Cigan, former TUGVA member Ramazan Aydoglu is also facing charges. An indictment accuses Aydogdu of accessed TUGVA digital files “without consent or the right to do so”, and then sending these on to a journalist.

EU, Belarus Journalists Tell Russian Reporters: Stop Spreading Propaganda

As Russian journalists leave their jobs, and sometimes the country, over not being allowed to tell the truth about the invasion of Ukraine, their colleagues were urged by reporters groups’ in the Baltic States, Germany, Poland and Belarus to stop taking the government line.

The appeal came in an open letter, reported by The Baltic Times, which stated: “You ignored an important postulate of journalism - verification of information. You broadcast lies from the Kremlin and escalate its degree by arranging long-running pseudo-discussions, while not allowing any dissent in essence.”

"The nonsense and verbiage of not always literally sober and adequate pro-government speakers was presented by you as the ultimate truth. Now the blood of children and elders of Ukraine, the crippled fate of besotted Russian soldiers is on your conscience," the journalists wrote.

Impartial reporting has become increasingly difficult in Russia, where new laws criminalise deviation from the approved narrative about the invasion in Ukraine, which is referred to as a ‘special military operation’. In the wake of Marina Ovsyannikova’s public act of protest on Channel One’s main news broadcast, there have reportedly been several resignations from the main Russian news channels.

Meanwhile, the space for independent news reporting in Russia has all but vanished. TV Dozhd and Ekho Moskvy have already been forced to close and outlets like Meduza operate from abroad. On 28 March, in a highly symbolic development, renowned daily Novaya Gazeta was forced to cease publication for the duration of the conflict, following a second warning from the Russian state censor Roskomnadzor.

EU crypto regulation reaches trilogue stage

The EU’s long-discussed cryptocurrency regulation instrument MiCA (the Regulation of Markets in Cryptocurrency) has now reached the trilogue stage, where it is discussed by all three parts of the EU, largely behind closed doors.

The proposed regulation largely focuses on stablecoins, the value of which is tied to a particular real-world currency, and the operation of cryptocurrency exchanges that are based in the EU.

One controversial proposal to ban ‘proof of work’ mining on environmental grounds has already been dropped, but it is likely that exchanges based in EU countries will be obliged to gather more information about their users.

Law enforcement and government agencies often express concern about the privacy properties of cryptocurrencies. This week, Guillaume Valette-Valla, Director of France's anti-money laundering agency Tracfin told the European Parliament's Economic and Civil Liberties Committee, that he wanted to see “deanonymization [of transactions] from the first euro”

Money Laundering Penalties Not Deterring Trade in Counterfeit goods

The Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) has called for better enforcement of money laundering laws to obstruct the sale of counterfeit goods.

A new OECD report estimates that up to 5.8 percent of EU imports are in fact fakes. This trade is often linked to organised crime and attempts to launder money. Recent disruptions of supply chains and global shipping as well as the rise of e-commerce have provided traders of illicit goods with more opportunities.

Cindy Braddon, head of communications and public policy at TRACIT, a private sector initiative combating illicit trade, said companies and law enforcement agencies have to work more closely together.

“The key is for the private sector and governments to work together. Everybody across the supply chain needs to be speaking with each other to make sure we’re monitoring and reporting when we see that there are bad actors before the products get delivered,” she said.