COcyber White Paper - Beyond NIS2: Integrating Civil and Defence Cyber to Protect Europe's Critical Functions

Europe’s critical functions increasingly rely on interconnected digital systems that serve both civilian and defence needs, making cyber incidents more likely to cascade across sectors and borders. Recent ransomware attacks on major transport and health infrastructures show that, despite extensive activity, civil and defence cyber responses remain fragmented, with limited information sharing and situational awareness. This white paper, developed within the EU-funded COcyber project, argues for moving beyond ad hoc cooperation under NIS2 towards a permanent dual-use cybersecurity ecosystem. It outlines how improved signal sharing, a shared operational picture, and trusted cross-sector relationships can strengthen cyber resilience in practice. Drawing on international good practices and stakeholder consultations, the paper proposes short-, medium-, and long-term measures to institutionalise civil defence cooperation, reduce disruption to essential services, and better protect Europe’s critical functions