Critical Infrastructure Protection and Resilience Europe has attracted a leading line up of international speakers for the discussion on the future of securing Europe's critical infrastructure, delivering thought
provoking presentations on many of the serious critical infrastructure protection, management and security issues and challenges facing the government and industry. Attacks on critical infrastructure sites are a favoured target for terrorist groups, for good reason.
Many offer what is seen by the terrorist as a soft target, that is, maximum effect with minimal chance of interdiction. The potential effects in terms of damage, the hugely detrimental economic impact, disruption of normal daily life and resulting publicity, can far outweigh the terrorist organisations
commitment in both manpower and risk. Man made and natural disasters such as industrial accidents, earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, storms, pandemics, solar flares and volcanic ash clouds pose an even greater danger to civil society.
Critical Infrastructure Protection and Resilience Europe will bring together leading stakeholders from industry, operators, agencies and governments to collaborate on securing Europe. The conference will look at developing existing national or international legal and technical frameworks, integrating
good risk management, strategic planning and implementation.
Opening Keynote
Sir Gerald Howarth MP, Former Minister for International Security Strategy at the Ministry of Defence,
UK and Dr. Nigel Brown, Lead for Resilient ICT Strategy, Cabinet Office, UK will deliver high level opening keynote addresses looking at the current climate and future prospects for the security of critical national infrastructure.
Discussing the hot issues and challenges in CIP
The conference programme itself will look at crucial areas for critical infrastructure protection and resilience, from 'Emerging and Future Threats' to 'Modelling, Simulation, Convergence and Standardisation for Improving CIP Solutions', enabling government and industry policy makers and
managers to optimise security and disaster planning, by identifying the threats and opportunities for improvement and how European standardisation could assist the industry in enhancing security solutions.
'International and National Agency Co-operation' plays an important role in both how governments and organisations work together to secure critical infrastructure and mitigate potential threats, and how to cooperate and co-ordinate response should and attack, whether man-made or natural disaster occur. Key speakers here include the United Nations; European Commission, Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) and NATO Operations Division. The European Commission has adopted a communication on Critical Infrastructure Protection in the fight against terrorism, enhancing European prevention, preparedness and response in the event of terrorist attacks involving critical infrastructures. The European Programme for Critical Infrastructure
Protection (EPCIP) considers measures that will enhance the level of protection of infrastructure