ABSTRACT
Cyber security has become an important aspect of EU–Russia relations. Brussels and Moscow started cooperating in the fight against cyber criminals and cyber terrorist before the 2014 crisis in Ukraine. The EU and Russia planned to formalise and expand this collaboration, but relevant initiatives were frozen. The position of Russia changed from that of a potential partner of the EU to one accused of using cyber tools to interfere in elections, influence public opinion and conduct espionage in the EU. Russia denies any wrongdoing, but does not do much to address the concerns of the EU’s members. The perceived ‘Russian threat’ has become a key reason for the EU to boost the resilience of its network and its cyber defence as well as to enlarge its ‘cyber diplomacy toolbox’ with sanctions to counter malicious behaviour on the internet. As a result, the EU and Russia do not at present cooperate in cyber space, which would be beneficial for both parties.
