Just a few months before the June elections, the European Parliament's top cybersecurity officer will leave his post early, amid criticism that the assembly is having difficulty dealing with growing cyber threats.
Pascal Paridans, the person most responsible for ICT security, is expected to leave his position until the EU vote, following a decision by the President and Vice-Presidents of the European Parliament. Paridans is the institution's highest-ranking official responsible for cybersecurity policies.
In December, the newspaper POLITICO reported that an internal review revealed that the European Parliament's cybersecurity “does not yet meet industry standards” and “is not fully in line with the threat level” posed by state-sponsored hackers and other threat groups.
The lack of security of IT systems leaves the institution and its elected officials exposed to cyberattacks, data breaches, interference and sabotage by hacker groups seeking to disrupt EU politics.
Paridans told POLITICO that Parliament's decision to shorten his term came “as a reflection” between him and Secretary General Alessandro Chiocchetti.
“The Board made the decision,” Paridans said. “I wasn’t surprised.”
Two people with knowledge of the decision said the institution's top civil servants were concerned about Paridans' poor record in protecting Parliament from hackers and data breaches.
“The cyber landscape has changed radically, so our approach has to change too,” said a European Parliament staff member, who granted anonymity due to the sensitivity of the topic.
The European Parliament's decision puts considerable pressure on the institution to find a replacement to lead its cybersecurity services at a time when threats increase ahead of the June vote.
With elections coming up in key democratic countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, India and the entire European Union, officials are on high alert that geopolitical enemies like Russia and China will try to tip the vote in their favor. through disinformation and cyberattacks.
The number of cyberattacks on EU institutions “is increasing sharply”, according to the internal report released by POLITICO. The EU must prepare “to face similar threats” to those that politicians, parliaments and governments across Europe have faced in recent years, the report said.
European Parliament deputy spokeswoman Delphine Colard said the institution does not comment on staff matters.
