Assessing Cyber Security Maturity in National and Legal Frameworks: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Protecting National Critical Infrastructures in Italy and Europe – ACySeM

SEcurity and RIghts In the CyberSpace
SERICS
SPOKE N. 8 - RISK MANAGEMENT AND GOVERNANCE

Presentation of the Project

This project aims to investigate the existing and future legal frameworks and policies regulating the cyberphysical ecosystem in Italy and Europe, with a focus on upholding fundamental rights and freedoms. It seeks to investigate the maturity of national and supranational institutional architectures dedicated on cybersecurity, assessing policies and laws in sensitive fields such as national critical infrastructures, citizens protection and empowerment of active participation on policy-making process using a multidisciplinary approach that integrates legal, ethical, and democratic values. The project, based on a comparative analysis will be focalized both at Italian, European Union and Euro-Mediterranean level, with a focus on digital and physical implications of geopolitical dynamics.
The main objective of the project is to analyze legal frameworks and geopolitical policies about cybersecurity risk in the euromediterranean area considering the effects of digitalization and transformation of society and institutions.
Consequently, Other related Objectives are:

1- To review current Italian and European legal frameworks and policies related to cybersecurity and the implications of cyber-physical systems. The review will also include the Euro-Mediterranean area in the field of cyber security (including, but not exclusive, countries such as Egypt, Israel, Morocco, Tunisia, etc) and the relevance of infrastructure such as submarine cables as well as strategic military bases in the Mediterranean area and national and international telecommunication infrastructures.

2- To evaluate the effectiveness of these policies and laws in protecting, securing and empowering the safeguarding critical infrastructures and essential services.

3- To identify gaps in existing legislation and propose recommendations for improvement.

4- To promote a cyber security vision that is aligned with fundamental rights and democratic values, including, inter alia, capacity building projects.

We plan to achieve these goals collecting and analyzing primary and secondary sources (academic papers, legal documents, policy papers, and case studies) on cybersecurity laws and policies in Italy and Europe; Reviewing existing studies on the impact of cybersecurity laws in sensitive sectors; Studying multidisciplinary approaches to cybersecurity, focusing on legal, ethical, and democratic principles; creating a permanent Research Observatory (Center for advanced studies) on cybersecurity as a place for discussion, study and indepth analysis of related topics; publishing studies on the topic and creating an academic journal; promoting public discourses throughout congresses and seminaries at university (summer/winter school), in the democratic institutions and in the wider media area; international cooperation among scholars and policy makers.