Estonia, EU – Baltic States, Legislation, Security, Technology

"We all agreed here that Europe must become the trailblazer for global cybersecurity. Every year, the world loses 400 billion euros to cyber-attacks, not to mention the unmeasurable cost of violated privacy. Staying secure online is as important as physical safety nowadays," Palo said on Tuesday evening in a press release.

The main cyber topic discussed at Tuesday's meeting was accelerating the implementation of the network and information systems (NIS) directive, according to which all member states need to upgrade their cyber security legal frameworks by May 2018.

Another important issue discussed was the promotion of investments in cybersecurity. In four weeks' time, the General Affairs Council will adopt council conclusions on the Commission's cyber package.

The minister affirmed that developing 5G networks needs more attention than before. "We had a good start in July, when all EU ministers signed the 5G declaration in Tallinn and we received support to the initiative at the European Council last week. There is a reason why this has been called an EU flagship initiative -- everybody and everything will be using 5G networks to communicate in the near future. Today we reviewed the topic of harmonization and release of 5G spectrum bands. We must ensure connectivity for individual users and applications in nearly every sector of the economy. Legislative and financial tools are needed at European level in order to provide the necessary conditions for roll out of next generation connectivity," Palo said.