Cyber Security Policies in the European Union and Russia: from Confrontation to Collaboration

The 56th Munich security conference has finished its work in the capital of Bavaria, which has generated more questions than answers in the field of digitalization and cyber security. Paradox is that despite some positive changes, new technologies, which were difficult to imagine during the "Cold War", at this stage bring additional difficulties to the existing international relations. Many states have advanced in dealing with cybersecurity at the national level, but the transnational nature of threats requires actions on bilateral or multilateral levels. The European Union and Russia, unfortunately, have not yet installed a stable system of collaboration in that area, on the contrary, confrontation and misunderstanding are increasing. The analysis of the European Union and Russia’s policies in the case of cyber security discloses considerable distinction in approaches. The reasons of the fragmented and unsuccessful cooperation of the actors are much deeper, than simple misunderstanding. Securitization of both actors is highly dynamic, but the European Union and Russia are now at the crossroads of further moves. They might show marks of convergence of approaches, closer cooperation and even joint policy in some of the areas. Now is time to turn to cyber disarmament and a focus on peaceful protection of the Internet space, this should not be transformed into something like an arms race during the “Cold War”. This paper provides a comparative analysis of the EU and Russia and might be helpful in identification some specificity of actors’ position in the area. The paper encompasses a discussion of the theoretical framework and its application to cyber security, a study on the EU and Russian policies, as well as a summary of findings and their implications for EU – Russia relations.