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Europol, the European Unions law enforcement agency, warnsthat cybercrime has spiked over the past year in large part due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Europols findings were detailed in its annual Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment, released Monday. The assessment highlighted ransomware attacks,such asthose targeting health care organizations, as one of the most persistent cyber threats during the pandemic, including attacks involving hackers threatening to auction off data if a ransom is not paid.

The distribution of child abuse material online has also increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, including livestreaming of sexual abuse. Other concerns have involved SIM swapping, in which the hackertakes over a SIM card on the individuals phone to intercept a two-factor authentication code, and the increased use of the dark web for criminal activities.

Ransomware in particular remains a priority threat encountered by cyber investigators across the EU, Europol Executive Director Catherine De Bolle wrote in an introduction to the report. The amount of online child sexual abuse material detected continues to increase, further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has had serious consequences for the investigative capacity of law enforcement authorities.

Phishing emails and online scams have increased, with Europol noting that cyber criminals are increasingly targeting the vulnerable online during the pandemic and that disinformation has become easier to spread during the period of uncertainty.

Users become vulnerable and receptive to disinformation and fake news due to the paradoxical oversaturation with available information combined with a perceived lack of trustworthy sources of news that reinforce some of the users preconceived notions and beliefs, Europol wrote in the report. Disinformation can also be linked to cybercrime in efforts to make social engineering and phishing attacks more impactful.

Edvardas ileris, head of the European Cybercrime Centre, said in a statement that the report is an essential resource for EUs law enforcement and policy makers, emphasizing that cybercrime is an evolution, not a revolution.

Europols report was released the same day Interpol, an international law enforcement agency, launched a new campaign to warn individuals of ongoing online cyber crime, highlighting phishing emails, ransomware and online crimes against children as key threats.

Even the most Internet-savvy person can fall for a cybercriminals tricks, so its important that everyone keeps their guard up when navigating the virtual world, Craig Jones,Interpol's director of cyber crime, said in a statement.

Cyber threats have increased around the globe during the pandemic, with health care groups and other organizations involved in responding to COVID-19 particularly targeted.

Microsoftreported last week that COVID-themed attacks were targeting health care and vaccine research groups, with attacks observed by at least 16 nation states actors.

The Treasury Department also warned of the dangers of ransomware attacks, which have become increasingly widespread over the past two years and have brought the city governments of Atlanta, Baltimore and New Orleans temporarily to their knees.

Link:
European Union police agency warns of increase in cybercrime due to pandemic | TheHill - The Hill

The European Union has celebrated an important anniversary this year. Seventy years ago, on May 9, 1950, the French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman, presented the Schuman Declaration on the creation of a European Coal and Steel Community, which was the first of a series of European institutions that would ultimately become todays EU. Built from the ruins of World War 2, in a bid to establish peace through economic collaboration, the original six-member bloc grew to include 28 countries over the years, and only one of them has left so far, the UK.

Keeping the EU alive and going, though, has been incredibly difficult.

Economic challenges, migration crises, unemployment, and a growing nationalism in several of the member states are only some of the challenges that the bloc has faced throughout the years.

The most recent one is the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, which forced the EU to shut its borders, something that has not ever happened in its 70 years of existence.

Adding the pandemic challenge to growing nationalism and anti-EU movements and not-so stable economy, the 70th anniversary has found the EU in an existential crisis like never before.

As many wonder whether the bloc will survive, Italexit Party spokesman Sergio Montanaro has accused the EU of not delivering any of its objectives.

Mr Montanaro said: "I have never been against the EU for the sake of it.

"I once believed that what we were told 70 years ago would have gradually become true.

"And then I realised that it wasn't the case. None of the key objectives set out by Brussels have been delivered.

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"We were promised full employment, solidarity, and common taxation, therefore the real possibility of having a strong economy everywhere in the EU not just one in certain areas.

"All these things made me considerably revise my opinion.

"And now, I am convinced that the only solution for restoring serenity in Italy is to leave the EU and the euro."

Mr Montanaro plans to take Rome out of the bloc in the next couple of years.

He added: "Our plan is simple. We will bring into Parliament people who want to leave the European Union.

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"Several collections of signatures have been carried out recently but they are pointless as they just collect dust in the end.

"We intend to bring everything into Parliament."

Mr Montanaro noted: "The problem is that there is a lot of confusion about what to do when actually it is very simple.

"If we were the governing party, the first thing we would do is trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.

"We would then create a parallel currency flanked by the euro during the two years it takes to actually leave the bloc.

"In those two years, we would negotiate with other states. And all of them will want to do trade deals with us.

"This is because we believe that we carry a message of national identity.

"We'll get back control of your nation and its currency."

Originally posted here:
Furious Italexit campaigner lashes out at EU: Youve failed on EVERY objective! - Daily Express

The Georgian Parliament adopted on 30 September legislative amendments aimed at reviewing the selection process of Supreme Court judges. The European Union and other key observers had repeatedly expressed concerns over the shortcomings in this selection process.

It is regrettable that the Parliament did not await the publication of the urgent Venice Commission Opinion on this legislation, which it had itself requested, and which is expected in the coming days. This was a missed opportunity to create greater public trust in this process.

The European Union will assess the legislation and its implications, taking into account the upcoming Opinion of the Venice Commission, and expects that Georgia will further consider the rules of the selection process in light of the Venice Commissions recommendations.

Upholding the highest standards of ethics and integrity in its judiciary is key for Georgias credibility in the eyes of its citizens and international partners, and for the advancement of the EU-Georgia partnership.

Go here to see the original:
Georgia: Statement by the Spokesperson on the selection process of Supreme Court judges - EU News

In the run-up to the election on 18October, the EU shares the concerns already expressed by regional and international actors regarding the conditions under which it is being organised.

The EU deplores the violence and clashes that accompanied the elections in March2020, claiming several lives, and calls on the authorities to carry out independent and thorough investigations so that those responsible can be prosecuted. The EU calls for respect for civil liberties, in particular the right of every citizen to demonstrate peacefully and in a law-abiding way, without interference, and to express political opinions without being arrested or imprisoned. Following the Constitutional Courts approval of the candidates on 9September 2020, it is now imperative that the competent authorities and institutions in Guinea guarantee that the electoral process is impartial, transparent, inclusive and fair, that it is supported by the citizens, and that the results of the election are credible and accepted by all.

It is important to avoid violence and a deterioration of the situation before, during and after the election. In this context, the EU reaffirms its full support for all initiatives by ECOWAS, the African Union, the United Nations and the International Organisation of La Francophonie which aim to defuse tensions and re-establish dialogue between the parties with a view to strengthening the electoral framework. In this context it welcomes the tripartite mission by ECOWAS, the African Union and the United Nations to Conakry on 1and 2October.

The EU therefore calls on all of the political class and of civil society, as well as the relevant administrations, to engage with one another in a constructive and peaceful way in order to ensure that this electoral process is consensual and transparent and contributes to lasting reconciliation among all Guineans. In particular it encourages the authorities to take initiatives to help to calm the political atmosphere. In that context, measures such as the resolution of the disputed local elections held in February2018 and the release of all jailed opponents would create an atmosphere that is conducive to dialogue.

Excerpt from:
Republic of Guinea: declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the presidential election on 18 October 2020 - EU News

29 September 2020, New YorkThe United Nations and the European Union signed an agreement today in the margins of the 75thsession of the General Assembly to enhance cooperation and strengthen collective response in peace operations and crisis management.

The Framework Agreement Between the United Nations and the European Union for the Provision of Mutual Support in the context of their respective missions and operations in the field was signed by the UN Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support, Atul Khare, and the Head of EU Delegation to the United Nations, Ambassador Olof Skoog. Building on the success of our joint achievements, this Agreement reaffirms that partnerships are essential to address the growing scale and complexity of challenges to international peace and security.

The Agreement will facilitate operational alignment and enhance complementarity between EU and UN field missions in the areas of logistics, medical, and security support. In particular, this Agreement will enable the UN and EU to expand co-operation in operational support services by building mutual understanding of our respective procedures and structures for the planning and execution of logistics support in missions and operations in the field.

This is also a concrete step forward in advancing the UNs Action for Peacekeeping Initiative (A4P) and the Declaration of Shared Commitments on UN Peacekeeping Operations, reinforcing the principle that strengthened partnerships are vital to effective and efficient mandate delivery.

The Framework Agreement complements existing cooperation arrangements between the two organisations and reflects the mutual commitment of the EU and the UN to multilateralism and a rules-based order. Our joint resolve serves to strengthen strategic and operational collaboration in response to global crises, threats, and challenges that cannot be addressed by individual nations acting alone. Furthermore, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates the importance of multilateral action, and how this maximises impact on the ground.

The United Nations and the European Union have progressively increased collaboration in peacekeeping and crisis management and fostered innovative approaches to co-operation. Initiated in the Western Balkans in 2003, co-operation has since expanded to include a number of theatres in Africa and the Middle East. Today, we closely coordinate our activities i.e. in Somalia, Central African Republic, Libya and Kosovo, and work side-by-side in support of the G5 Sahel Joint Force.

Media inquiries:

For the European Union (Brussels):Nabila.MASSRALI@ec.europa.eu

For the European Union (New York):Christopher.matthews@eeas.europa.eu

For the United Nations Department of Operational Support:DOS-comms@un.org

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UN and EU sign agreement to enhance cooperation and strengthen response in peace operations - EU News