Germany to step up critical infrastructure protection with new law
Handelsblatt / dpa
Germany's cabinet will discuss a draft law to better protect so-called critical infrastructure against physical damage "shortly after the summer break", dpa reported in an article carried by business daily Handelsblatt. The "KRITIS umbrella law" will be the first to impose "requirements on operators with a view to strengthening the resilience of these infrastructures across economic sectors," an interior ministry spokesperson told dpa. Operators would have to "consider all potential risks, from natural disasters and human error to acts of sabotage." Government ministries are still working out agreements on final details.
Under the critical infrastructure umbrella fall businesses and services without which society could experience threats to public safety. Energy is one of eleven sectors recognised as such, and includes electricity generation, gas distribution and energy storage. Germany, and Europe as a whole, are viewing the likelihood of attacks to critical infrastructure with renewed attention following the sabotage of Russian-German gas pipelines Nord Stream I and II in 2022.
The law would have to come into force by October 2024 and the measures implemented by January 2026 in order to fulfil EU requirements, Handelsblatt reported. The German energy sector had criticised a previous draft for lack of clarity on who was responsible for protecting energy supply infrastructure.
