Intelligent CIO Europe Issue 56 | Page 52

COUNTRY FOCUS : NETHERLANDS
Buildings on water , Groningen , Netherlands
They used money mules to transfer these funds from the victim ’ s accounts and to cash out the fraudulently obtained money . Members of the group have also been connected with cases of drugs trafficking and possible firearms trafficking .
Europol facilitated the information exchange , the operational coordination and provided analytical support for investigation . During the operation , Europol deployed three experts to the Netherlands to provide real-time analytical support to investigators on the ground , forensics and technical expertise .
Headquartered in The Hague , the Netherlands , Europol supports the 27 EU Member States in their fight against terrorism , cybercrime and other serious and organised crime forms . Europol also works with many non-EU partner states and international organisations . From its various threat assessments to its intelligence-gathering and operational activities , Europol has the tools and resources it needs to do its part in making Europe safer .
The Government of the Netherlands also responds to the fear surrounding cyberthreats across the country , as it states that cybersecurity measures in more sectors will improve digital security in the Netherlands and the EU .
The introduction of better cybersecurity measures for network and information systems and a reporting obligation for serious cyber incidents should significantly improve digital security in the EU . From mid-2024 , key players in the food industry ( industrial food producers and distributors such as large supermarket chains ), as well as entities in the chemical industry , manufacturing , waste processing , postal and delivery services and data centres , will be required to take appropriate cybersecurity measures . In June of this year , the EU member states and the European Parliament reached a provisional political agreement on a revised version of the EU ’ s current Network and Information Security ( NIS ) Directive : NIS2 . The Netherlands has been working towards appropriate European legislation in this area for years .
Minister Yeşilgöz-Zegerius of Justice and Security , explains that national borders do not provide a barrier against cyber incidents : “ We are increasingly reliant on digital processes , particularly since more people are working from home following the Coronavirus pandemic . We are also seeing a growing threat from criminals as well as state actors , which will not recede any time soon now that war is raging just across the EU ’ s eastern borders . That is why we now
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