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Ireland could be the global leader in Cyber Security – Seán Kelly MEP

Published: Mon, 16 January 2017

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Ireland could become the global leader in cyber security expertise and services, according to Ireland South MEP Seán Kelly, who led Data Protection negotiations for the European Parliament.

“Ireland is world renowned for being a high-tech hub, with a skilled workforce of highly educated, English-speaking ICT experts. Ireland is already home to the world’s biggest tech companies so it could quickly develop more cyber security services and become the global leader in securing personal and financial information online.

“Given the speed at which new technologies are emerging and how much business is now generated online, and with more and more sensitive information stored online, the cyber security landscape needs to evolve fast and there is an increasing global demand for expert, trusted services to be delivered as a result,” Seán Kelly MEP said.

By completing the Digital Single Market or maximising trading ability online across the European Union, the EU could boost its economy by almost €415 billion per year and create hundreds of thousands of new jobs. However, with increasing incidents of cyber-attacks, Europeans need to trust and have confidence in new connected technologies and services, Mr Kelly has warned.

“The EU this year agreed a Cybersecurity Strategy to enhance cross-border cooperation and examine how to strengthen and streamline cybersecurity cooperation across different sectors of the economy, including in cybersecurity training and education.

“Ireland is best placed to become a global leader in providing the latest digital security technology services. Europe needs to ensure its businesses can trade online safely, its citizens can store information without concern, and essential services like banking, healthcare and governments are protected from cyber-attacks.

“Looking to the future, one cannot deny that greater online connectedness will be inevitable – with connected cars, smart grids and the Internet of Things (loT). Criminal cyber-attacks are a modern form of warfare in some cases and we need to shield the EU from such threats. Ireland could seize the opportunity that has created to provide more vital services and become a global leader in cyber security.”

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