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UK still to ratify Euro Cybercrime pact ten years on

A decade of European cybercrime sort-of cooperation

The European Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmström is celebrating the ten year birthday of the Budapest Convention against cybercrime.

Speaking in Hungary, she said much had been achieved, but cyber attacks were still increasing. She noted recent attacks against carbon trading systems, and a wider attack on EC email systems which left her without email on a trip to Cairo.

Malmström said she expects the Computer Emergency Response Team to be ready by the end of May. She said Europol was playing an increasing role in supporting member states.

She said she was open to ideas about the need for better training which will include a European Cybercrime Centre by 2013. Malmström said there would be a feasibilty study next year to decide what it should do and where it should be based.

Malmström said although the convention was begun in the mid-90s it had still not been ratified by ten countries. She said she hoped Belgium and the UK would sign up soon, leaving Austria, the Czech Republic, Greece, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland and Sweden as refuseniks. She urged all of them to speed up their efforts.

The Commissioner also said that co-operation with the US was vital to the fight against online crime. The Commission is setting up a working group to discuss common issues with US authorities - it should report back within a year.

Malmström's full cybercrime speech is here. ®

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