Evidence-based policy implementation: the EU Cybersecurity Index
The EU cybersecurity index is a tool prepared by ENISA to describe the cybersecurity posture of the EU and MS. It gives insights on the cybersecurity maturity and capabilities of the MS and the EU (as per Art. 18 of NIS2). It enables MS to evaluate their progress towards higher levels of cybersecurity vis-à-vis index indicators and the Union average.
The European Cybersecurity Index aims to clearly show the state of digital space protection in individual member states. A team has been working on it since 2021; in 2024, a functional methodology was created and validated. The index is intended to serve as an evidence base for decision-making and for harmonizing the “common level” of security. Cybersecurity in the EU is meant to reach a “high common level,” but without an overview of the situation in individual states, common goals cannot be planned or measured. The index therefore maps what is actually happening across countries so that comparison is possible and lessons can be learned from good practices. After years of intensive regulation, coordinated implementation and determining whether the adopted policies work are now more important. The index is intended to provide reliable evidence for exactly that.Why we need a common index
