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EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Brussels, 30.9.2026

COM(2026) 1010 final

2026/0301 (COD)

Proposal for a

REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL

establishing the European Union Critical Communication System (EUCCS)

{SEC(2026) 1010 final} - {SWD(2026) 1010 final} - {SWD(2026) 1011 final}

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CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL

• Reasons for and objectives of the proposal

In any emergency situation, from floods and earthquakes to terrorist attacks, fires and traffic

accidents, people rely on first responders and emergency services, such as law enforcement,

rescue and medical services, and firefighters, for help. To provide help effectively, these first

responders and emergency services need to be able to communicate and coordinate. Each

Member State therefore provides dedicated, non-public, and secure communications systems

for its emergency services (“critical communications systems”). These are mobile radio

communication systems used by emergency services1 that meet specific requirements in terms

of reliability, security and availability. These systems are built to withstand disruption and

continue to operate even when other communication channels fail. They are crucial for

coordinating the response to emergency and crises and thus ultimately help save lives.

However, these national systems reach their limits when first responders cross borders or

when they need to communicate with first responders from another Member State.

Emergencies, especially major emergencies, often affect several Member States or require

support from services from other Member State. An effective response to such emergencies,

as well as the daily protection of citizens across the Union and the Schengen area, require that

emergency services can cooperate with each other whenever and wherever they are, and can

communicate seamlessly across the EU. Yet today, there is no European system that allows

critical cross-border communication. This can complicate and delay the response in scenarios

like joint police patrols, hot pursuits across borders, as well as accidents or major disasters

such as fire or flood. In all these scenarios, most emergency services in Europe must rely on

ad-hoc arrangements, such as the physical exchange of radios, creating a patchwork of

different communication solutions or using commercial phones that are neither designed nor

equipped for public security and safety tasks. Efficient and seamless communication is

however not a matter of convenience: the ability to communicate defines the speed in which

emergency services can react. And that in turn defines how fast they can save lives.

The European Union Critical Communication System (EUCCS) aims to provide a European

solution, to equip those who protect us with the best communication means to fulfil their

mission. EUCCS will serve more than 5 million first responders in emergency services2

across Europe in their daily life-saving operations and during major emergencies. It will

significantly increase Europe’s response capability both in times of large-scale crises, but also

in daily emergencies, accidents, missing persons, crime and terrorism.

The 2015-16 wave of terrorist attacks, which brought to light the lack of communication

among emergency services in major crisis situations, showed the clear need for greater

1 ‘Emergency service’ means a service, recognised as such by the Member State, that provides immediate

and rapid assistance in situations where there is, in particular, a direct risk to life or limb, to individual

or public health or safety, to private or public property, or to the environment, in accordance with

national law. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32018L1972. 2 The figure represents the number of expected users of EUCCS, as communicated by Member States.

this is not the number of interventions, but of personnel that uses critical communication means, and

thus will benefit directly from EUCCS. The number is based on a questionnaire to Member States’

competent authorities in which they were asked for report the expected number of users (such as police

officers, firefighters, medical services) to DG HOME.

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interconnectivity and interoperability of critical communications. This need led to the launch

of technical and operational coordination projects that prepared the EUCCS. The Covid-19

Pandemic, large-scale natural disasters such as wildfires, as well as the Russian war of

aggression against Ukraine further highlighted the importance of improved critical

communication capabilities, across different sectors. The initiative thus builds on, and is part

of, a long-term and strategic approach that is based on concrete operational needs.

EUCCS directly addresses the operational needs expressed by Member States and emergency

responders. Building on the results of EU-funded security research projects carried out in

2016-2023 - with involvement of first responders - the Commission is currently developing

with Member States the technical framework for EUCCS. In 2023, DG HOME established the

Mission Critical Communication Group (MCCG), comprising experts in the field of critical

communication from the EU Member States, the Schengen Associated countries, and EU

Agencies. This demonstrates the strong involvement of Member States, who had specifically

requested leadership by the Commission on EUCCS with the common understanding that

only EU-level action would be able to deliver such an ambitious system.

The legal framework presented in this Regulation is a light regulatory approach with a

minimum set of binding rules at EU level. This solution responds best to the complex

technological, operational, legal and political needs of the initiative. EUCCS creates a ‘system

of systems’ in which Member States remain in full control of their critical communication

systems, with mandatory inter-operability. At the EU-level, there would be no central data

management infrastructure. Rather, a technical interconnection infrastructure overseen by a

light governance component consisting of national Competent Authorities represented in a

European Union Critical Communication Group would provide the basis for interoperability,

as well as common support functions for Member States’ systems and operations. The system

is planned to be built in a gradual approach, taking into account the different stages of

transition to broadband communication of Member States’ national critical communication

systems. A first group of Member States should start operations in 2030, followed by the

other Member States in 2033 and 2036, the latter being the final deadline by which all

Member States must connect to the EUCCS. This flexibility allows Member States to adapt

their adherence to the EUCCS to the progress at national level, while already providing the

full benefits of the interoperability to those Member States that are ready earlier.

The system will cover the whole EU and – in view of the need and benefit of including the

full Schengen area – also the Schengen Associated Countries. For EUCCS to unfold its full

added value and to allow comprehensive communication and coordination in case of major

emergencies, it is essential that it covers all emergency services: law enforcement,

firefighters3, civil protection and medical emergency responders. This proposal is therefore

intrinsically linked with the proposal for a Regulation establishing the framework for the use

3 In line with the importance of tools in terms of connectivity, communication and coordination like the

European firefighting hub based in Cyprus announced by the President of the European Commission in

State of the Union Address 2025.

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of the European Union Critical Communication System by the Member States’ services and

other organisations in charge of civil protection.

• Consistency with existing provisions in the policy area

In the field of critical communication, an EU acquis does not yet exist. Member States’

critical communication systems are operating independently without legal harmonisation and

with limited interoperability.

• Consistency with other Union policies

The proposed Regulation establishes the legal basis for the EUCCS in line with the provisions

laid down in accordance with the existing and proposed legal acts in the area of civil

protection, space and defence, cybersecurity, digital innovation and infrastructure and

connectivity, including spectrum related aspects. Specifically, the Union Civil Protection

Mechanism4 establishes operational cooperation between Member States in emergency

response. The 112 and eCall provisions as part of the European Electronic Communications

Code5 and the Digital Networks Act6 regulate the electronic communications sector.

Regarding mobile satellite systems (MSS) management it takes into account the recently

proposed MSS Regulation7. For what concerns coverage and backup, the proposed EUCCS

regulation is in line with the Space Programme, in particular its secure connectivity

component. Finally, it is coherent with the Network and Information Security 2 (NIS2)8 and

Critical Entities Resilience (CER)9 Directives. The proposed Regulation complements the

regulatory landscape by determining resilience requirements for Member States’ critical

communication systems that are aligned with NIS-2 and CER, as well as the Cyber Resilience

Act to be fully applicable as of 11 December 2027.

The proposal is consistent with the Council Conclusions of 7 June 2021 on the protection of

public spaces10, which emphasised the importance of secure, interoperable mission-critical

communication. The EU Space Strategy for Security and Defence11 was the first European

Commission document to identify the creation of a European Union Critical Communication

System as a policy objective.12 In 2024, the political commitment was confirmed in the

4 Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Union Civil Protection

Mechanism and Union support for health emergency preparedness and response, and repealing Decision

No 1313/2013/EU (Union Civil Protection Mechanism) COM(2025) 548 final. 5 Directive (EU) 2018/1972 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018

establishing the European Electronic Communications Code. 6 Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on digital networks, amending

Regulation (EU) 2015/2120, Directive 2002/58/EC and Decision No 676/2002/EC and repealing

Regulation (EU) 2018/1971, Directive (EU) 2018/1972 and Decision No 243/2012/EU (Digital

Networks Act) COM(2026) 16 final. 7 Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the procedure for

authorisation of systems providing mobile satellite services using the harmonised 2 GHz frequency

band and repealing Decision No 626/2008/EC. COM(2026) 0134 final. 8 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2022/2555/oj/eng 9 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2022/2557/oj/eng 10 Council Conclusions 9545/21 on the Protection of Public Spaces (2021); Council Recommendation (EU) 2022/915

on operational law enforcement cooperation (2022); 11 https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/documents-register/detail?ref=JOIN(2023)9&lang=en 12 https://defence-industry-space.ec.europa.eu/eu-space/eu-space-strategy-security-and-defence_en.

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Commission White Paper ‘How to master Europe’s digital infrastructure needs’, which

announced the establishment of EUCCS by 2030.13 Further momentum came with the 2024–

2029 Political Guidelines of Commission President von der Leyen, which stated that “our

united approach to security should be centred around a new European Critical

Communication System (…)”. The Niinistö Report14 also urged the EU to complete the

EUCCS as soon as possible and recommended to ensure its interoperability with systems used

by armed forces. This direction was reaffirmed in 2025 in ProtectEU – the European Internal

Security Strategy15 and the European Preparedness Union Strategy16, both announcing a

legislative initiative. The Preparedness Union Strategy specifically highlights the effects of

recent crises on multiple sectors and promotes a whole-of-government approach, bringing

together all relevant actors, across all levels of government, ensuring collaboration and

sharing of resources, to which the EUCCS would contribute.

1. LEGAL BASIS, SUBSIDIARITY AND PROPORTIONALITY

• Legal basis

The legal basis is Article 87(2)(a) of the Treaty of the Functioning of the European Union.

Article 87(1) of the Treaty of the European Union lays down the legal basis for the

establishment of police cooperation, including police, customs and other specialized law

enforcement services in relation to prevention, detection and investigation of criminal

offences. In this regard, Article 87(2)(a) of the Treaty of the Functioning of the European

Union provides for the possibility to establish measures concerning the collection, storage,

processing, analysis and exchange of relevant information. This includes the development of

necessary technical infrastructure.

Article 87(2)(a) of the Treaty of the Functioning of the European Union is the appropriate

legal basis for the establishment of the European Union Critical Communication System for

law enforcement authorities across borders among Member States and Schengen Associated

Countries. This regulation constitutes further development of the Schengen acquis, as it

further develops the Decision of the Executive Committee of 28 April 1999 on the Schengen

acquis relating to telecommunications.

• Subsidiarity

This proposal responds to calls from Member States and first responders for action at EU

level to facilitate and establish a legal framework for broader critical communication among

Member States as system of systems. The proposal aims to create a Union-wide interoperable

communication system for first responders by interconnecting the national systems, ensuring

seamless coordination during emergencies across Member States.

13 European Commission, White Paper: How to Master Europe’s Digital Infrastructure Needs (2024)

https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/white-paper-how-master-europes-digital-infrastructure-

needs. 14 Niinistö, S. (2024), Safer Together – Strengthening Europe’s Civilian and Military Preparedness and

Readiness, p. 59 and p. 69.15 COM (2025)148final (2025) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:52025DC0148. 16 European Commission (2025), European Preparedness Union Strategy, JOIN(2025) 130 final.

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Given the transnational nature of the European Union Critical Communication System,

including standardisation, interoperability and cross-border cooperation among first

responders, EU action is necessary.

National rules are insufficient to guarantee the required interoperability, responsibility, and

resilience of the communication system as they cannot create the necessary binding EU-wide

interoperability framework. The measures set out in this proposal must be adopted at Union

level to achieve the intended cross-border objective of establishing the European Union

Critical Communication System. Therefore, Union action is justified under the principle of

subsidiarity.

• Proportionality

The proposal lays down rules for Member States and providers of publicly available

interpersonal communications services for the establishment of an effective, secure and

interoperable critical communication system. The proposal defines clear rules for Member

States to develop the required architecture and infrastructure for the EUCCS, including

minimum resilience and security standards. These technical and operational demands are

strictly limited to what is essential to ensure that the EUCCS functions as a cohesive and

secure network system, capable of supporting cross-border communication among public

security authorities. The interconnectivity between current communication networks enhances

the systems’ efficiency and operational readiness, ensuring that first responders and

emergency services can rely on secure communication channels during critical operations.

The proposal takes into account that a system of systems solution imposes requirements on

Member States and service providers in order to establish a decentralised EU framework that

allows the national critical communication systems to be interconnected. It creates a

framework for Member States to designate competent national authorities that are obliged to

ensure the interconnectivity of Member States’ critical communication systems. The chosen

form of a decentralised EU framework - i.e. without a central EU competent authority -

balances the necessary requirements to establish a functioning EU and Schengen wide

interoperable communication system and the respect for national autonomy, without imposing

excessive requirements on the Member States. This architecture ensures that the EUCCS

functions as a unified framework to enhance overall effectiveness.

The proposal also requires Member States to impose rules on telecommunications service

providers to ensure the use of their networks for critical communication. These requirements

ensure that existing infrastructure can support the operational needs of the EUCCS, without

placing disproportionate technical or financial demands on service providers.

The measures taken are limited to responding to the essential needs for the creation of a

resilient and secure cross-border critical communication system between Member States and

security agencies.

• Choice of the instrument

Given the nature of emergency services, which bring together several different authorities and

services from Member States, the EUCCS consists of two proposals relying on two different

legal bases to ensure comprehensive interoperability across all relevant services. The first –

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present – proposal is based on Article 87 (2) (a) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the

European Union (TFEU), which gives the European Parliament and the Council, acting in

accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure, the possibility to establish directives and

regulations to facilitate police cooperation.

To include all relevant emergency services in the EUCCS, the scope of the framework is

extended to civil protection services and other organisations in charge of public safety by a

second regulation, Regulation EU (…/…) on establishing the framework for the inclusion of

the Member States’ civil protection services and other organisations in charge of public safety

into the European Union Critical Communication System, which is proposed in parallel and is

based on Article 196 TFEU.

Given the need to ensure a light central governance structure and one clear and unified

interoperability framework interconnecting the national systems, a regulation is the

appropriate legal instrument.

The proposal aims to establish a Union-wide critical communication system across Member

States and Schengen associated countries, ensuring secure and interoperable cross-border

communication for public authorities. A regulation is necessary to achieve direct application

across all Member States, thereby guaranteeing consistent implementation without the risk of

divergent national approaches that could compromise interoperability. This also ensures the

system can be operational without delay, addressing urgent security needs effectively. A

regulation is the only suitable legal instrument for establishing the binding technical

specifications, security standards, and governance structures required to support such a

system.

2. RESULTS OF EX-POST EVALUATIONS, STAKEHOLDER

CONSULTATIONS AND IMPACT ASSESSMENTS

• Ex-post evaluations/fitness checks of existing legislation

As the Regulation relates to a new area with no existing legislation at EU level, this point

does not apply.

• Stakeholder consultations

The Commission collected data through various sources and consultations methods.

The EUCCS system is built in close cooperation with the European industry, therefore

directly contributing to the overarching priorities of strategic autonomy and competitiveness.

In compliance with the Better Regulation guidelines, DG HOME published a Call for

Evidence in April 2025 and commissioned an external study to support the Impact

Assessment. The research for the initiative and this impact assessment started with targeted

surveys and interviews with EU Member States, which took place from July 2025 until June

2026 and mapped how Member States authorities are currently implementing their critical

communications system.

A Commission Open Public Consultation was conducted from 16 January until 10 April 2026.

Commission services also conducted targeted surveys and organised dedicated meetings with

representatives of industry, such as providers of critical communication infrastructure and

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services and mobile network operators, as well as NGOs and other relevant associations,

which took place from July 2025 until June 2026.

• Collection and use of expertise

As mentioned in the preceding section, the Commission has drawn on external expertise in the

context of consultations with, e.g. independent experts, expert networks and members of

academia, in developing the proposal at hand.

• Impact assessment

This proposal is supported by an impact assessment, which analysed a range of policy options

to address the identified problems related to limited operational mobility, limited functionality

of legacy systems and insufficient resilience.

The general objective of EUCCS is to enhance Europe’s capacity to react swiftly and

effectively to incidents and crises that require response across borders and by cooperation of

different types of emergency services.

Three specific objectives have been identified as:

– Specific Objective no. 1: Promote interoperable and secure cross-border and

cross-agency/operator critical communication and operational mobility among

emergency services

The objective is to provide emergency services with a resilient critical communication

infrastructure. The system should enable seamless operational mobility, meaning the ability of

emergency services to communicate seamlessly whenever, wherever and with whomever they

are tasked to cooperate. It shall furthermore promote interoperability and strengthen cross-

border and cross-agency operational mobility for an enhanced emergency response.

Specifically, all the critical communication systems of law enforcement, civil protection, and

other emergency response services across Member States need to be harmonised and

interconnected.

– Specific Objective no. 2: Support Member States in deploying broadband

critical communication systems

The ability to exchange data-rich information, such as images or video, across borders and in

real time is a key driver behind Member States’ decision to upgrade the current narrowband

systems used, notably TETRA17. It is important to underline that EUCCS does not ‘replace’

TETRA. Rather, it is the technological shift to broadband that will phase out narrowband

technologies, similar to what happened in commercial telecommunication.

The transition to broadband is necessary for the deployment of interoperable 5G mission-

critical capabilities. Broadband communications technology satisfies the current and evolving

needs for increasing data consumption, supporting advanced functionalities, such as real time

incident reporting and facilitating the integration of Artificial Intelligence. Furthermore,

technological harmonisation will contribute to making national investment in critical

17 TETRA, or Terrestrial Trunked Radio is a global standard for digital radio technology. In contrast,

Tetrapol is a 1988 proprietary technology even if its specification is publicly available.

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communications attractive and help build a more integrated and technologically advanced

European critical communications ecosystem.

– Specific Objective no. 3: Facilitate the achievement of a high and consistent

level of resilience of critical communications across Member States

Resilient infrastructure is essential to ensure connectivity and availability in all circumstances.

In this context, resilience refers to the capacity of critical communication infrastructures to

withstand, absorb, and rapidly recover from natural hazards, man-made disasters or security

incidents. Notably this can be achieved by ensuring advanced backup power, redundant

coverage, the separation of mission critical core network and radio access networks, as well as

strong protocol and cryptographic security. A broadband system would also contribute to a

higher level of security by authentication allowing for stronger protection against

cyberattacks. Furthermore, achieving this specific objective would contribute to future-

proofing critical communication systems and increasing Europe’s strategic autonomy against

potential geopolitical developments harming EU interests.

On the basis of these objectives, the impact assessment that supported the development of this

initiative explored different policy options. Besides the baseline situation, which would entail

no change over the current situation, these options included:

– Policy Option 1: voluntary pursuit of technical interconnectivity

This policy option is based on voluntary measures to promote interconnection of critical

communication systems between Member States. This would include the publication of non-

binding guidance by the Commission. Similarly to the baseline scenario, Member States

would continue to develop their national critical communication systems independently. They

would either maintain narrowband systems or transition to broadband solutions, in line with

national strategies, priorities, and available resources.

In theory, PO1 addresses all problems and their drivers, however it is very unlikely to solve

any of them in a satisfactory manner. Given the voluntary nature it is extremely unlikely that

all Member States and all emergency services would participate in a ‘voluntary EUCCS’. The

consultation with Member States concluded that only eleven Member States would be willing

to work on interoperability of broadband systems in the absence of a binding EU framework.

The BroadMap and BroadWay projects (2016 – 2022) were based on a voluntary approach

that should lead to a coordinated procurement of inter-operable solutions. Experience gained

from those projects largely led to the common understanding of Member States and the

Commission services that only an approach based on binding EU-level rules is likely to

successfully establish EUCCS.

In PO1, the Mission Critical Communication Group would recommend relevant international

standards (e.g. those developed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute or

3GPP) and promote common operational procedures to support interconnection among

participating Member States. EU funding of projects could be leveraged aligning to existing

priorities.

– Policy Option 2: adoption of an EU legal act providing a legal basis for the

establishment of a decentralised EU framework

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This policy option would establish a ‘system of systems’ enabling the interconnection of

Member States national critical communication systems while preserving Member States’

sovereignty over their national critical communication systems.

The legal act would set out objectives, roles and responsibilities, minimum technical

requirements, and cross-border procedures. Implementation would take place gradually

following a convergence period with an initial system connecting around eight to ten Member

States by 2030, followed by a progressive expansion of services and participation in 2033 and

2036.

At the EU level, there would be no central data management infrastructure or central

operations capacity but a governance, as well as common support functions for Member

States’ systems. Interconnection of Member States’ systems will be facilitated, and a central

EU level monitoring capacity will be established. The combination of those elements is the

EU-level component of EUCCS. Two sub-options exist that differentiate from each other

according to the level of centralisation of this EU-level component:

• In sub-option 2.1 the EU-level component is light with a stronger role of the

Member States, for which the current EUCCS Preparation Project will be

reinforced to become the EUCCS Cooperation Project and only the necessary

elements for facilitating interconnectivity, monitoring and support tasks being

handled at EU-level.

• In sub-option 2.2 a central EU competent authority covers tasks related to

facilitation on technical interconnectivity, common EU services as well as

monitoring of the implementation of EUCCS across Member States.

Policy Option 2.1 and Policy Option 2.2 present very similar benefits and impacts.

Policy Option 2.1 ensures a higher degree of coherence with existing EU policies and respects

the principle of proportionality, as its measures are appropriately calibrated to the scale of the

challenges addressed. The creation of the governance measures and the light EU component

are relatively easy to achieve.

There is a variation of the cost, as Policy Option 2.2 requires slightly less human resources at

EU level due to the centralised governance structure. However, Policy Option 2.2 would have

required the creation of an EU Agency, or the significant modification of an existing Agency

mandate and resources, to act as competent authority. The Commission has thoroughly

reviewed existing Agencies and none of them would have the necessary legal mandate to

cover the different first responder groups, as well as the resources and capacity to handle the

EU component of EUCCS. Creating a new Agency on the other hand was determined to be

disproportionate.

Considering these facts, Policy Option 2.1 emerges as the preferred option. This Policy

Option provides the most effective response to the identified problem, offering a

comprehensive and reliable framework for achieving the policy objectives. While it may

entail higher costs compared to Policy Option 1, these are justified by the significantly greater

benefits and the more substantial impacts generated across economic, social, and

environmental dimensions. By contrast, Policy Option 1, although less burdensome, is not

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expected to deliver sufficient impact to address the identified problems, limiting its overall

suitability.

Different types of impacts have been identified and assessed in the Impact Assessment,

including but not limited to:

• Social impacts: Significant and structural benefits through binding

interoperability, harmonized procedures, and full operational mobility for an

estimated 3.7 million first responders across the Union. Enhanced safety and

security for citizens.

• Economic impacts: Substantial public investment (€3.571 billion) required for

an interoperable EU-wide system. Medium- to long-term benefits include

economies of scale, a more integrated market, and opportunities for European

industry, particularly Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), in critical

communication services, infrastructure, and equipment.

• Environmental impacts: More positive and structurally significant benefits

through strengthened cross-border response capacity, enabling faster and more

coordinated interventions to mitigate environmental risks.

EUCCS strengthens the capacity of emergency services and supports efficient coordination in

emergency and crisis situations, accelerates response to disasters and emergencies, and

enhances accountability and reliability. The general and specific objectives of the EUCCS

contribute to various United Nations Sustainable Development Goals18, notably: SDG 11,

SDG 13 and SDG 16.

The Impact Assessment was subject to scrutiny by the Regulatory Scrutiny Board, which

issued a positive opinion with reservations on 22 May 2026. The Board suggested to identify

better the collection of evidence presented; describe in more details the intervention logic and

problem drivers, specifically what concerns the interoperability between Member States;

elaborate in more detail the EU added value, preparedness of the Member States’

technological solutions and future-proofness of the chosen policy option; and better clarify,

assess and compare the costs and benefits of the options, including their distribution among

the various stakeholders.

All these elements have been addressed in the final version of the Impact Assessment.

Lastly, the impact assessment explains that EUCCS will have positive impacts on the

environment, notably as it enhances the capability to respond to disasters with environmental

impacts such as floods, fires and industrial accidents, as well as the fight against

environmental crime. Therefore, this legislative proposal is consistent with the climate-

neutrality objective set out in European Climate Law.

The summary sheet of the impact assessment is available at the following link: [LINK to be

inserted]

• Regulatory fitness and simplification

18 https://sdgs.un.org/goals

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This initiative is not a revision of existing legislation; therefore, a REFIT test has not been

performed.

• Fundamental rights

This proposal does not affect fundamental rights, but it supports Member States in the

exercise of their responsibility to ensure the safety and security of their citizens. Specifically,

the EUCCS enhances interoperability among emergency services across agencies and borders,

ensuring an effective and coordinated response to security threats, crises, and the protection of

citizens throughout the Member States. Member States’ responsibility to ensure the security

of every person is protected under Article 6 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the

European Union (Charter), and Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights

(ECHR). With respect to Article 2 ECHR and Articles 2(1) and 3(1) of the Charter, the

EUCCS could support the protection of life as well as the physical and mental integrity of

people by enabling rapid emergency response and coordination during crises such as terrorist

attacks or natural disasters. EUCCS does not equip law enforcement and emergency services

with any capabilities that may be used for direct exercise of force or infringements of other

rights.

– Compliance with Regulation 2016/679 (GDPR Regulation)

The EUCCS fully comply with the standards laid down in Regulation (EU) 2016/679 on the

protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free

movement of such data (GDPR), in line with Article 8 ECHR (right to respect for private and

family life), Article 7 (respect for private and family life) and Article 8 of the Charter

(protection of personal data. The EUCCS facilitates the exchange of operational data

exclusively among emergency services and directly associated entities, e.g. emergency

medical services, hospitals. Such exchanges may include victim-related data, such as name,

age, sex, physical or psychological condition, but remain strictly limited to public security and

safety purposes. These advancements serve solely to improve emergency response, without

altering the existing legal framework for data protection. The EUCCS not enhance the

capabilities of law enforcement for activities with a potential fundamental rights impact, such

as surveillance of private communication.

The restrictions of data subject rights (e.g. access, erasure, or objection) in cross-border data

exchanges are in line with Article 23 GDPR, as the new dimension permits restrictions by

way of a legislative measure when necessary for public security, national defence, or law

enforcement, provided such limitations are proportionate. For critical communication,

processing of personal data would be based on the vital interest to protect life and to prevent

serious threats.

3. BUDGETARY IMPLICATIONS

The total costs have been established as part of the Impact Assessment in close cooperation

with Member States’ experts.

The total direct costs amount to €3,571 billion. Of those, for the EU component of the

EUCCS, which is to be provided by the European Commission, the impact assessment

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estimated the costs to amount to €1,156 billion, covering costs for the dedicated initial

network connection, standardisation and certification, satellite connectivity, testbeds, the

European Union Network Monitoring Centre, the European Union Security Monitoring

Centre, the European Critical Communications Group Committee, the System Accreditation

Board, the tasks of the EUCCS Cooperation mechanism, the elaboration of standard operating

procedures and guidelines additional human resources and for training of staff.

The costs that are directly related to the establishment of the System at the level of the

Member States and the interconnection of Member States’ systems to jointly form the EUCCS

amount to €2,415 billion, consisting of adjustment costs for network, infrastructure, user

equipment, applications and software licences for connecting to the EUCCS, as well as of

administrative costs, consisting of reporting tools for the national competent authority, human

resources needed for reporting and statistical work, training.

The costs that Member States would have to cover for transiting critical communication to

broadband over a period of 7 years are estimated at €12,667 billion, including the costs for

using existing public networks. Those costs are not induced by the EUCCS.

Without prejudice to the outcome of the negotiations on the next Multiannual Financial

Framework (MFF) the proposal, may be supported by Union programmes in accordance with

the objectives set out in the regulations establishing those programmes. The LFDS presents

estimated budgetary impact under Heading 4 including related human and administrative

resources.

4. OTHER ELEMENTS

• Implementation plans and monitoring, evaluation and reporting arrangements

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) will be used to measure the success of EUCCS, aligned

with its specific objectives. These include: (i) the designation of National Competent

Authorities (NCAs) and EU competent bodies; (ii) the establishment of the European Union

Critical Communications Group (ECCG) and System Accreditation Board (SAB); (iii) the

number of Member States connected to EUCCS and number of first responders with

connectivity; (iv) the increased cross-border operational mobility (for instance, roaming

minutes); (v) the service quality metrics (for example, connection time, roaming service

quality, backup power capacity); (vi) compliance with security requirements (NIS2,

Cybersecurity Act), using European cybersecurity certification schemes where available; (vii)

the number of joint exercises and trained first responders; and (viii) progress in implementing

national strategies and adherence to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

The Commission will evaluate the functioning and effectiveness of the Regulation in line with

standard evaluation requirements and report on its performance.

• Detailed explanation of the specific provisions of the proposal

EN 13 EN

The proposal is based on two Regulations as explained above. The main Regulation is based

on Art. 87 TFEU and is structured as follows:

Chapter I – General Provisions

This chapter describes the subject matter and the scope, namely enabling emergency services

and other public authorities in charge of security and public safety to seamlessly communicate

and exchange mission-critical information with each other, across borders, thereby enhancing

efficiency and effectiveness of response to emergencies and crisis situations. Furthermore, it

provides the key definitions and sets out the obligation for Member States to ensure the

interoperability of their national critical communication systems.

Chapter II – Member State Critical Communication Framework

This chapter describes the architecture of the Member States’ Critical Communication

Framework, which consists of the national critical communications system and the policies

governing its upgrade and use, supervised by a national Competent Authority. Specifically, it

describes the role of the Member State Competent Authority, the content of the national

mission critical-broadband communication strategy, the minimum components, spectrum

management and resilience requirements of the national critical communication system and

the obligations for providers of public electronic communications networks. These rules

ensure comparable frameworks and minimum harmonisation at Member State level, which is

a prerequisite for a coordinated transition into mission critical broadband and the basis for the

eventual interconnection of critical communication systems via the EUCCS. In line with the

objective of technological sovereignty and with the Commission’s Joint Communication on

Strengthening EU economic security19, to lower the risk of data leakage, espionage and of

physical and cyber-disruption, these rules exclude ownership, control or operation by high-

risk entities and avoids dependencies on single suppliers or high-risk suppliers, as well as

concealed vulnerabilities, backdoors or potential systemic ICT supply disruptions, by

excluding high-risk vendors from the core of the system and thus contributing to ensure the

supply chain security of the system.

Chapter III – European Union-level Governance

This chapter describes the governance at Union level. It sets out the European Union Critical

Communication Group, consisting of Member States’ delegates, that will steer policy

implementation, as well as the System Accreditation Board which will perform the technical

accreditation of Member States’ critical communication systems to ensure readiness to join

the EUCCS. A dedicated governance system ensures a strong role for Member States to

safeguard their control over national systems, while providing clear and coherent guidance for

the functioning of the EUCCS, as well as ensuring trust and verification of the accreditation,

to support the future development of the System.

Chapter IV – System Accreditation and Interconnection

The chapter describes the steps for Member State systems’ interconnection to form gradually

the European Union Critical Communication System. It includes an empowerment for the

19 JOIN/2025/977 finalof 3 December 2025.

EN 14 EN

Commission to adopt a delegated act to define the mandatory standards, explains the general

principles of accreditation and interconnection and how the Commission will facilitate the

interconnection via a dedicated infrastructure. Furthermore, it describes the principle of

gradual establishment and the assessment missions to be performed before an accreditation to

verify compliance with the legal obligations and technical standards. Due to the fact that

Member States have different starting points and the transition into mission critical broadband

will happen in different timelines and with different budgetary implications, agradual

approach is the only effective solution to ensure interconnection. The proposal sets 2036 as

the final date for transition and interconnection. The provisions of this Chapter are

supplemented by the Annex, which defines the Member States’ maturity levels.

Chapter V – European Union Components

This chapter describes the European dimension of the light technical components of the

System, namely the competences of the European Union Network monitoring centre and of

the European Union Security Monitoring Centre. The Network Monitoring Centre would host

the interconnection infrastructure and support the high-level monitoring of the functioning of

the interconnection and the interoperability. The Security Monitoring Centre would support

Member States’ Security Operation Centres by monitoring security threats to critical

communication systems. Both centres would be created as virtual service entities using

framework contract arrangements of the European Commission that are already today used

for similar tasks for the Commission and other EU bodies. Where relevant, both centres could

be supported with advice from ENISA.

Chapter VI – Union-level operational support

This chapter describes the different European level operational support measures, namely the

standard operating procedures and the use of EU Satellite Secure Connectivity services.

Standard operating procedures are a key element to ensure that apart from the technical

aspects, there is also operational harmonisation that is the basic for effective communication

in emergency situations. EU Satellite Assets will support the System by offering Member

States back-up and additional coverage where terrestrial systems are not available or

disrupted. Finally, the chapter describes the supporting role of the Commission for Member

States operations and system development, notably providing testbeds for the mission-critical

interconnection, developing best practices, guidance materials and methodologies, and cross-

border training activities and exercises to test critical communication systems for emergency

services.

Chapter VII – Evaluation

This chapter defines the measures for evaluation of the Regulation.

Chapter VIII – Delegated and Implementing Acts

This chapter confers the power on the Commission to adopt delegated acts and specifies the

committee procedure for the development of implementing acts.

Chapter IX – Final Provisions

EN 15 EN

This chapter lists the final provisions, notably that the Regulation would take immediate

effect in all Member States.

EN 16 EN

2026/0301 (COD)

Proposal for a

REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL

establishing the European Union Critical Communication System (EUCCS)

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular

Article 87 (2), point (a) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,

After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national parliaments,

Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee20,

Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions21,

Acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure,

Whereas:

(1) People facing emergency situations in the Union depend on the fast, efficient, and

professional response, including by law enforcement authorities. From daily

operations, countering crime and terrorism, preserving the public order in case of

incidents or attacks, or providing security for mass events, these services need to

communicate seamlessly, exchange information in real time, and collaborate

effectively between each other and across borders.

(2) The effective functioning of the Schengen area and the prevention and response to

security threats or disasters depend on close cross-border law enforcement

cooperation, underpinned by continuous and reliable communication and information

exchange in cross-border operations, such as hot pursuits. Law enforcement

cooperation across borders within the area free of internal border controls on persons

relies on the ability of competent public authorities to maintain reliable and

interoperable communications when operating in a cross-border context, including in

situations requiring real-time coordination. Such cooperation significantly contributes

to ensuring the long-term security of the the Schengen area and of the Union citizens

and, as such, constitutes an important safeguard in an area without internal border

controls.

(3) It is essential that public authorities in charge of ensuring public order and security

have, within the framework of applicable Union and national law, the ability to

communicate effectively both within and across borders. In such an area, law

20 OJ C , , p. . 21 OJ C , , p. .

EN 17 EN

enforcement activities carried out by one Member State may have cross-border

implications for the security of others, and effective cooperation increasingly depends

on the capacity of authorities to coordinate actions and exchange information in a

mission critical and reliable manner. Secure, resilient and interoperable critical

communication systems therefore play a central role in ensuring continuity of law

enforcement operations and missions across borders and constitute an essential

component of the measures underpinning public security in an interdependent area

without internal border controls. Critical communication infrastructure should

guarantee the reliable, secure, and efficient transmission of vital information to

respond, coordinate and cooperate.

(4) At present, no system enables seamless cross-border cooperation between law

enforcement authorities in the Schengen area. Critical communication systems of the

Member States operate largely independently at national level and are based on

differing technical approaches, resulting in very limited interoperability and lack of

continuity of communications across internal borders. In an interdependent area

without internal border controls, such fragmentation undermines effective law

enforcement cooperation and the ability of authorities to respond jointly to security

threats. It is therefore necessary to establish clear, harmonised and effective

requirements at Union level, including common interoperability requirements and

standards, to support the modernisation and interconnection of Member States’ critical

communication systems.

(5) In order to address the need for operational mobility, strong resilience and strategic

autonomy of the Member States’ critical communication systems, the European Union

Critical Communication System (EUCCS) should be established as an overarching

framework that enables the relevant law enforcement authorities to communicate and

exchange data continuously and seamlessly with corresponding authorities in other

Member States for cross-border missions while operating within their familiar

operational environments, including the devices, applications, authentication

mechanisms and communication services they use in their routine activities.

(6) The European Union Critical Communication System constitutes a key action at

Union level in support of internal security objectives, as reflected in ProtectEU – the

European Internal Security Strategy22, which emphasises the importance of enhanced

cooperation, resilience and preparedness in addressing security threats to public order

and security. Moreover, as highlighted in the European Preparedness Union Strategy23,

the Union should strengthen its response capabilities and strategic preparedness,

including crisis-response tools, to address major emergencies, critical shortages and

hybrid attacks. The establishment of a European Union Critical Communication

System contributes to those objectives by providing a common framework enabling

competent authorities in charge of security and safety to communicate and exchange

data continuously and seamlessly.

22 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52025DC0148 23 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:52025JC0130

EN 18 EN

(7) Whereas Member States may have different models for their national critical

communication systems, a set of key minimum requirements and the ability of

different types of law enforcement authorities to effectively communicate between

each other within a given Member State is a prerequisite for interconnecting to the

European Union Critical Communication System.

(8) The critical communication framework established by this Regulation should be

without prejudice to the organisation, command or conduct of law enforcement

activities, or to the ownership and operation of national critical communication

systems, which remain the responsibility of the Member States. The provisions laid

down in this Regulation do not interfere with the competence of Member States and

their authorities in terms of administrative autonomy. They do not affect their

responsibility for safeguarding national security and defence, their power to safeguard

other essential State functions, in particular concerning public security, territorial

integrity and the maintenance of law and order.

(9) In order for the European Union Critical Communication System to unfold its full

operational value, Member States should be encouraged to ensure its use also by their

services and other organisations in charge of civil protection, enabled by Regulation

(EU) 2021/836 of the European Parliament and of the Council 24. Cooperation

between different types of emergency services is the daily operational reality. Law

enforcement authorities depend on the seamless cooperation with firefighters, civil

protection and medical emergency responders to effectively conduct its mission,

thereby ensuring joint response of all relevant authorities in emergency situations.

(10) There are other important users of critical communication systems. To cater for the

different situations in Member States and to allow for flexibility, Member States

should have at their discretion the to include other users into the System. This applies

notably to armed forces, national security authorities, public authorities responsible for

the protection of the environment and authorities or private entities responsible for the

delivery of essential services, notably as provided in Commission Delegated

Regulation (EU) 2023/245025 as well as for the operation of critical infrastructure as

defined in national law. Private security operators, in particular Monitoring and Alarm

Receiving Centres, play an essential role in the early detection and verification of

incidents, including coordinated first response with competent authorities, affecting

citizens, essential services, the resilience of critical entities, and public space security.

They should therefore be recognised as trusted contributors to emergency response

systems and consequently be included where appropriate in critical communication

networks in a complementary role to emergency services and other public authorities.

24 Regulation (EU) 2021/836 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 2021 amending

Decision No 1313/2013/EU on a Union Civil Protection Mechanism (OJ L 185, 26.5.2021, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/836/oj)

25 Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2450 of 25 July 2023 supplementing Directive (EU)

2022/2557 of the European Parliament and of the Council by establishing a list of essential services (OJ

L, 2023/2450, 30.10.2023, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2023/2450/oj).

EN 19 EN

(11) With a view to ensuring a comprehensive and harmonised approach to the transition

towards critical broadband and the interconnection of Member States’ systems into the

European Union Critical Communication System, each Member State should have in

place a strategy for critical communication. The strategy should set out objectives and

policy measures to be implemented. In the interests of coherence and efficiency, the

strategy should be designed to seamlessly integrate existing policies, building,

wherever possible, upon relevant existing national and sectoral strategies, plans or

similar documents.

(12) Critical communication is increasingly shifting towards broadband, using commercial

public electronic communications networks on a shared infrastructure basis. In this

context, the EUCCS should promote an ongoing transition from narrowband critical

communication systems to broadband, which is in line with the overall digital policy

of the Union. Coherence with the commercial public electronic communication

developments will allow critical communication to benefit also more quickly from the

market-driven technological advancement of the commercial sphere.

(13) Whereas Member States may have different models for their national critical

communication systems, a set of key minimum requirements and the ability of

different types of law enforcement authorities to effectively communicate between

each other within a given Member State is a prerequisite for interconnecting to the

European Union Critical Communication System.

(14) Until today, critical communication was delivered usually through dedicated, self-

contained networks designed to ensure availability, control, and resilience under

adverse conditions. This model provided law enforcement authorities with a high

degree of assurance over mission-critical communications.

(15) Modern critical communication is however dependent on commercial, publicly

available broadband networks, cloud-based services, and complex, software-defined

infrastructures, meaning they are embedded within a wider and highly interdependent

digital and electronic communications ecosystem. Critical communication can no

longer be considered in isolation but should be approached in coherence with the

security and resilience of the commercial public electronic communications networks.

(16) It is necessary to lay down a set of minimum requirements for the resilience and

security of Member States critical communication systems via this Regulation, without

prejudice to Member States full sovereignty over those systems.

(17) Critical communication systems may include or define as products with digital

elements. For products with digital elements placed on the internal market, including

both hardware and software, Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 of the European Parliament

and of the Council26 sets out cybersecurity requirements that require manufacturers to

26 Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2024 on

horizontal cybersecurity requirements for products with digital elements and amending Regulations

(EU) No 168/2013 and (EU) 2019/1020 and Directive (EU) 2020/1828 (Cyber Resilience Act) (OJ L,

2024/2847, 20.11.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/2847/oj, ELI:

http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/2847/oj).

EN 20 EN

ensure a security by design approach and manage vulnerabilities during the lifecycle

of the product. To facilitate the implementation for manufacturers, the requirements of

the Cyber Resilience Act are being further specified by harmonised standards

requested by the European Commission to the European Standardisation Organisations

in line with Commission Implementing Decision C (2025)61827.

(18) The Union and its Member States should be able to operate the System without foreign

interference, ensuring the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the System and

of data transmitted via the System, including prohibiting the use of equipment from

high-risk suppliers, especially those subject to intrusive third-country laws regarding

national intelligence and data security. In this regard, the Union and its Member States

should also take into account the EU ICT Supply Chain Security Toolbox28 and make

use of the possibility to exclude an economic operator from participation in a

procurement procedure where the operator has been identified as a high-risk supplier

pursuant to Regulation (EU) XXXX/XXX [CSA2 proposal]29 in relation to the

provision of key components for the creation, functioning or operation of the EUCCS.

(19) Strengthening European control over key technologies required for the System is

essential for its security and resilience and is also one of the priorities of the Joint

Communication on strengthening Union economic security. The EUCCS should

leverage the required state-of-the-art technologies and innovative solutions, thereby

promoting strategic autonomy and competitiveness of the Union. The System should

therefore support the continuous innovation, testing, validation and integration of

emerging technologies, such as generative artificial intelligence, cloud computing,

post-quantum encryption and device-to-device communication, thus ensuring it

remains resilient in an evolving threat landscape.

(20) The EUCCS can rely on the use of dedicated spectrum to ensure interoperability and

continuous availability. Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2016/68730 enables

Member States, subject to national decisions and choice, to designate and make

available up to 8 MHz of paired spectrum for critical communications within the 700

MHz frequency band. Member States should exchange experience and best practice

through the Radio Spectrum Policy Group to facilitate the coordinated designation and

27 Commission Implementing Decision C (2025)618 of 3 February 2025 on a standardisation request to

the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN), the European Committee for Electrotechnical

Standardisation (Cenelec) and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) as regards

products with digital elements in support of Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 of the European Parliament

and of the Council of 23 October 2024 on horizontal cybersecurity requirements for products, with

digital elements and amending Regulations (EU) No 168/2013 and (EU) 2019/1020 and Directive (EU)

2020/1828 (Cyber Resilience Act). 28 EU ICT Supply Chain Toolbox, NIS Cooperation Group, https://digital-skills-

jobs.europa.eu/sites/default/files/2026-

02/NISCG_2026_EU_ICT_Supply_Chain_Security_Toolbox_j7C7mjtm8bJ7UHDEItXtI2CDXS0_124

123.pdf 29 […] 30 Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2016/687 of 28 April 2016 on the harmonisation of the 694-

790 MHz frequency band for terrestrial systems capable of providing wireless broadband electronic

communications services and for flexible national use in the Union (OJ L 118, 4.5.2016, p. 4, ELI:

http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2016/687/oj).

EN 21 EN

availability of EU-harmonised spectrum for critical communications in accordance

with that Implementing Decision.

(21) Furthermore, Article 17 of Regulation […] of the European Parliament and of the

Council [on digital networks, amending Regulation (EU) 2015/2120, Directive

2002/58/EC and Decision No 676/2002/EC and repealing Regulation (EU) 2018/1971,

Directive (EU) 2018/1972 and Decision No 243/2012/EU (Digital Networks Act)]31

provides that the Union spectrum strategy shall identify radio spectrum needs and

ensure availability and, where relevant, protect radio spectrum necessary for fulfilling

objectives of different Union policy areas involving the use of radio spectrum,

including critical communications.

(22) Regulation (EU) XXXX/XXX [The Digital Networks Act] recognises the role of

critical communication, that enable emergency services and public authorities in

charge of security and safety to fulfil their mission and should therefore be fully

available on public communication networks. Consequently, providers of electronic

communications networks and services should adopt specific measures to ensure

uninterrupted electronic communications, including internet traffic, to the extent

necessary to effectively conduct emergency response.

(23) Critical communications may be supported by new technologies, like network slicing,

which should benefit from sufficient network capacity to ensure quality of service in

crisis situations. If necessary to ensure the quality of such services, the related traffic

should be prioritised and redundancy for continued availability of critical

communications should be ensured.

(24) Critical communication can be provided in the exercise of public powers32 for the

fulfilment of sovereign missions related to public security, safety and emergency

response, and therefore may fall outside the scope of internal market and competition

rules. Member States maintain competency to regulate the operational and financial

conditions of these services at the national level, in line with the applicable Union law.

Where the same communications infrastructure is used for the provision of both

commercial and critical communications services, appropriate safeguards may prevent

possible cross-subsidisation or overcompensation.

(25) In order to ensure the technical feasibility of seamless and continuous access to the

European Union Critical Communication System, it is necessary to establish common

technical and interoperability requirements enabling the mission critical

interconnection, interoperability and continuity of communications between Member

States’ critical communication systems. Standards are therefore required to ensure

operational mobility for law enforcement authorities across the Union and the

Schengen area, to guarantee interoperability between national mission-critical

communication systems. Compliance with such harmonised standards should provide

31 COM(2026) 16 final, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:52026PC0016 32 Services of general interest - European Commission

EN 22 EN

one of the means to demonstrate conformity with the requirements laid down in this

Regulation.

(26) In order for the European Union Critical Communication System to function, it is

essential that Member States’ systems are compliant with a set of minimum

requirements, including readiness to interconnect with the systems of other Member

States. In order to accredit Member States’ systems readiness for inclusion into the

System in line with the security assurance levels laid out in the Regulation (EU)

XXXX/XXX of the European Parliament and the Council [on establishing a

framework of measures for strengthening Europe’s cloud and AI ecosystem]33, it is

necessary to establish a System Accreditation Board. Its activities should cover the

verification of Member States’ critical communication systems interconnection,

roaming readiness, rollout of baseline mission critical services and key enabling

capabilities, as well as alignment with the European Union Critical Communication

System security and resilience. The Board will ensure that Member States retain the

key role in accrediting critical communication systems, while at the same time

ensuring the necessary level of trust that is needed to perform their interconnection.

The assessment of the Board will be formalised by the Commission which adopts the

decision on the accreditation.

(27) Member States have different starting points and the transition into mission critical

broadband will happen in different timelines. Therefore, a gradual approach in which

Member States connect in three groups from 2030 onwards, with 2036 as the final date

for transition and interconnection.

(28) A European Union Network Monitoring Centre should be set up by the Commission

by outsourcing its cybersecurity and network management tasks. The centre should

operate as virtual entity to provide a specific service, thus removing the need to create

any official body. It should support the interconnection of Member States’ critical

communication systems and monitor the availability, performance, and continuity of

service. To facilitate the interconnection of Member States’ critical communication

systems, it is appropriate for the Union to provide a central mission critical

interconnection infrastructure. A central interconnection node should be established to

connect Member States’ systems, thus removing the need for a high number of

bilateral or regional interconnections.

(29) In order to ensure operational integrity, detect, assess and mitigate security threats to

the European Union Critical Communication System, it is necessary to establish a

European Union Security Monitoring Centre, using the same approach as for the

Network Monitoring Centre. It should cooperate closely with the Network Monitoring

Centre through continuous information exchange and coordinated incident-

management procedures. As per established practice in the telecommunication and

cyber security domain, the Security Monitoring Centre is separated from the Network

Monitoring Centre.

33 COM(2026) 502 final, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:52026PC0502

EN 23 EN

(30) The Commission should facilitate cooperation among Member States and the

exchange of information, including best practices, on issues relating to this Regulation

with the support of a European Union Critical Communication Group, consisting of

experts from Member States.

(31) To ensure the resilience and continuity of critical communications for emergency

services, it is necessary to integrate non-terrestrial networks, including secure satellite

connectivity, as a backup and supplementary capability where terrestrial networks are

unavailable, degraded, overloaded, or compromised. The Union Secure Connectivity

Programme (IRIS²), established by Regulation (EU) 2023/588 of the European

Parliament and of the Council34, and the Governmental Satellite Communication

(GOVSATCOM) component, established by Regulation (EU) 2021/696 of the

European Parliament and of the Council35, provide the secure and scalable

infrastructure required to complement terrestrial networks in such scenarios. Access to

these systems remains subject to the decision-making authority of the GOVSATCOM

and IRIS² Competent Authorities and should respect the primary mission or

operational priorities of IRIS² or GOVSATCOM.

(32) Use of satellite connectivity within the EUCCS should be operationally driven, based

on authorisation by the competent authorities, technically feasible, and authorised,

with clearly defined service modes—including stationary backup, communication-on-

the-pause, communication-on-the-move, and direct-to-device connectivity to address

the diverse needs of law enforcement authorities. Such use should be granted only

where capacity and budgetary resources are available, and should be governed by

interoperability, security, and prioritisation rules to ensure alignment with Union law

and the operational requirements of Member States.

(33) When providing mobile satellite services (MSS) using the harmonised 2 GHz

frequency band, it is essential that sufficient MSS spectrum and capacity for

broadband and Direct-to-Device connectivity will be available for the EUCCS.

(34) The EUCCS is built on more than 10 years of Union funded research and deployment

projects. It is essential to continue to provide Member States, law enforcement

authorities and industry a framework for technical cooperation, innovation and testing,

building on the results of the projects Horizon 2020 Broadmap, Broadway and

EUCCS Preparation Project. Their results are fundamental for the development of

Member State pilot projects, for the organisation of large-scale exercises and trials of

the System and the Member States’ interconnections, to promote sharing of feedback

for evolving operational requirements and as a testbed for testing and validating

updated or new technological solutions before deployment.

34 Regulation (EU) 2023/588 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2023

establishing the Union Secure Connectivity Programme for the period 2023-2027 (OJ L 79, 17.3.2023,

p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/588/oj). 35 Regulation (EU) 2021/696 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 April 2021 establishing

the Union Space Programme and the European Union Agency for the Space Programme and repealing

Regulations (EU) No 912/2010, (EU) No 1285/2013 and (EU) No 377/2014 and Decision No

541/2014/EU (OJ L 170, 12.5.2021, p. 69, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/696/oj).

EN 24 EN

(35) The System should furthermore provide the basis for the roll-out and use of

increasingly harmonised solutions for communication and situational awareness at a

Union level, including notably solutions piloted by Union funded initiatives. This is in

line with the EUCCS architecture, which follows a system of systems approach, in

which Member States’ critical communication systems interact and collaborate on the

basis of common standards and rules, resulting in enhanced functionalities and

performance beyond the capabilities of the individual systems.

(36) This Regulation respects fundamental rights and observes the principles recognised by

Articles 2 and 6 of the Treaty on European Union and reflected in the Charter of

Fundamental Rights of the European Union.

(37) Where, under this Regulation, personal data are processed, such processing should be

carried out in accordance with applicable Union and national law on the protection of

personal data. Given that critical communication systems are operated at national level

and remain under the responsibility of the Member States, the processing of personal

data carried out through such systems should continue to be subject to the applicable

data protection regime governing the respective national or Union actors involved.

Any processing of personal data under this Regulation is therefore subject, as

applicable, to Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the

Council36, Directive (EU) 2016/680 of the European Parliament and of the Council37,

and Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council38.

(38) The EUCCS represents a trans-European digital public service within the meaning of

Regulation (EU) 2024/903 of the European Parliament and of the Council39. An

interoperability assessment has thus been carried out, and the resulting report will be

published on the Interoperable Europe Portal.

(39) In order to ensure the interconnection, at Union level, of the Member States critical

communication systems used by competent law enforcement authorities, the power to

adopt acts in accordance with Article 290 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the

European Union should be delegated to the Commission in respect of establishing the

36 Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the

protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of

such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation) (OJ L 119, 4.5.2016,

p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/679/oj). 37 Directive (EU) 2016/680 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the

protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data by competent authorities for

the purposes of the prevention, investigation, detection or prosecution of criminal offences or the

execution of criminal penalties, and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Council

Framework Decision 2008/977/JHA (OJ L 119, 4.5.2016, p. 89, ELI:

http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2016/680/oj). 38 Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2018 on the

protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data by the Union institutions,

bodies, offices and agencies and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Regulation (EC) No

45/2001 and Decision No 1247/2002/EC (OJ L 295, 21.11.2018, p. 39, ELI:

http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2018/1725/oj). 39 Regulation (EU) 2024/903 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 March 2024 laying

down measures for a high level of public sector interoperability across the Union (Interoperable Europe

Act) (OJ L, 2024/903, 22.3.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/903/oj).

EN 25 EN

list of relevant standards related to critical communication. It is of particular

importance that the Commission carry out appropriate consultations during its

preparatory work, including at expert level, and that those consultations be conducted

in accordance with the principles laid down in the Interinstitutional Agreement of 13

April 2016 on Better Law-Making40. In particular, to ensure equal participation in the

preparation of delegated acts, the European Parliament and the Council receive all

documents at the same time as Member States' experts, and their experts

systematically have access to meetings of Commission expert groups dealing with the

preparation of delegated acts.

(40) In order to ensure uniform conditions for the implementation of this Regulation,

implementing powers should be conferred on the Commission on establishing

minimum requirements for the security and resilience of the Member States’ critical

communication systems, on laying down procedural arrangements necessary for the

functioning and decision-making of the System Accreditation Board, on the decision

on granting or refusing the accreditation to the Member States’ critical communication

system, on laying down standard operating procedures for the Member States’

competent law enforcement authorities for the use of the system for interagency and

cross-border critical communications, on required capacity, capabilities, technical

standards, governance, security, and accreditation for the use of satellite connectivity

within the system, on the prioritisation and service allocation procedures between

users at national level, ensuring uninterrupted access for law enforcement authorities.

(41) Those powers should be exercised in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 182/2011

of the European Parliament and of the Council41.

(42) The objectives of this Regulation of enhanced cooperation among law enforcement

authorities across borders cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States

individually but can rather by reason of enhanced cooperation among law enforcement

authorities across borders be better achieved at Union level. The Union may therefore

adopt measures, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity as set out in Article 5

of the Treaty on European Union. In accordance with the principle of proportionality,

as set out in that Article, this Regulation does not go beyond what is necessary in order

to achieve those objectives.

(43) In accordance with Articles 1 and 2 of Protocol No 22 on the position of Denmark

annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty on the Functioning of the

European Union, Denmark is not taking part in the adoption of this Regulation and is

not bound by it or subject to its application. Given that this Regulation builds on the

Schengen acquis, to the extent that it applies to cross-border cooperation between law

enforcement authorities, Denmark shall, in accordance with Article 4 of that Protocol,

40 OJ L 123, 12.5.2016, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/agree_interinstit/2016/512/oj. 41 Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011

laying down the rules and general principles concerning mechanisms for control by the Member States

of the Commission's exercise of implementing powers (OJ L 55, 28.2.2011, p. 13, ELI:

http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2011/182/oj).

EN 26 EN

decide within a period of six months after the Council has decided on this Regulation

whether it will implement it in its national law.

(44) As regards Ireland, this Regulation constitutes a development of the provisions of the

Schengen acquis in which Ireland takes part, in accordance with Council Decision

2002/192/EC of 28 February 2002 concerning Ireland’s request to take part in some of

the provisions of the Schengen acquis. Ireland is therefore bound by this Regulation

and subject to its application.

(45) As regards Iceland and Norway, this Regulation constitutes a development of the

provisions of the Schengen acquis within the meaning of the Agreement concluded by

the Council of the European Union and the Republic of Iceland and the Kingdom of

Norway concerning the latter’s’ association with the implementation, application and

development of the Schengen acquis42, which fall within the area referred to in Article

1, point G, of Council Decision 1999/437/EC.

(46) As regards Switzerland, this Regulation constitutes a development of the provisions of

the Schengen acquis within the meaning of the Agreement between the European

Union, the European Community and the Swiss Confederation on the Swiss

Confederation’s association with the implementation, application and development of

the Schengen acquis43, which fall within the area referred to in Article 1, point G, of

Decision 1999/437/EC, read in conjunction with Article 3 of Council Decision

2008/146/EC 44.

(47) As regards Liechtenstein, this Regulation constitutes a development of the provisions

of the Schengen acquis within the meaning of the Protocol between the European

Union, the European Community, the Swiss Confederation and the Principality of

Liechtenstein on the accession of the Principality of Liechtenstein to the Agreement

between the European Union, the European Community and the Swiss Confederation

on the Swiss Confederation’s association with the implementation, application and

development of the Schengen acquis45 which fall within the area referred to in Article

1, point G, of Decision 1999 /437/EC read in conjunction with Article 3 of Council

Decision 2011/350/EU46,

42 OJ L 176, 10.7.1999, p. 36, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/agree_internation/1999/439(1)/oj. 43 OJ L 53, 27.2.2008, p. 52, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/agree_internation/2008/178(1)/oj. 44 Council Decision 2008/146/EC of 28 January 2008 on the conclusion, on behalf of the European

Community, of the Agreement between the European Union, the European Community and the Swiss

Confederation on the Swiss Confederation's association with the implementation, application and

development of the Schengen acquis (OJ L 53, 27.2.2008, p. 1, ELI:

http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2008/146/oj). 45 OJ L 160, 18.6.2011, p. 21, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/prot/2011/349/oj. 46 Council Decision 2011/350/EU of 7 March 2011 on the conclusion, on behalf of the European Union,

of the Protocol between the European Union, the European Community, the Swiss Confederation and

the Principality of Liechtenstein on the accession of the Principality of Liechtenstein to the Agreement

between the European Union, the European Community and the Swiss Confederation on the Swiss

Confederation's association with the implementation, application and development of the Schengen

acquis, relating to the abolition of checks at internal borders and movement of persons (OJ L 160,

18.6.2011, p. 19, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2011/350/oj).

EN 27 EN

(48) The European Data Protection Supervisor was consulted in accordance with Article 42

of Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council and

delivered an opinion on [,,,].

HAVE ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

EN 28 EN

CHAPTER I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1

Subject matter

This Regulation establishes the European Union Critical Communication System (EUCCS)

which interconnects, at Union level, the Member States’ critical communication

systems used by competent law enforcement authorities to ensure secure and reliable

connectivity for those systems.

Article 2

Responsibilities and duties of the Member States

1. Member States shall ensure that their national critical communication systems used

by competent law enforcement authorities are interoperable so that they can be

interconnected at Union level.

2. This Regulation shall apply to critical communication systems used by any authority

of the Member States competent under national law to exercise authority and to take

coercive measures for the purpose of preventing, detecting or investigating criminal

offences, including those carrying out the following functions:

(a) policing;

(b) border control as defined in Article 2, point 10 of Regulation (EU) 2016/399 of

the European Parliament and of the Council 47;

(c) coast guard functions;

(d) customs controls as defined in Article 5, point (27) of Regulation (EU)

2026/210848 .

3. Member States shall ensure that the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement

Cooperation (Europol) is granted access to use the EUCCS in line with its mandate.

4. Member States shall ensure that the European Border and Coast Guard Agency

(Frontex) is granted access to use the EUCCS, including the European Operational

Support in accordance with Chapter VI, for all operational activities in line with its

mandate.

47 Regulation (EU) 2016/399 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2016 on a Union

Code on the rules governing the movement of persons across borders (Schengen Borders Code) (OJ L

77, 23.3.2016, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/399/oj). 48 Regulation (EU) 2026/2108 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 September 2026

establishing the Union Customs Code and the European Union Customs Authority, and repealing

Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 (OJ L, 2026/2108, 19.9.2026, ELI:

http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2026/2108/oj).

EN 29 EN

5. Member States shall ensure that the European Union Customs Authority is granted

access to use the EUCCS in line with its mandate.

Article 3

Definitions

1. For the purpose of this Regulation, the following definitions apply:

(1) ‘competent law enforcement authorities’ means any police, customs or other

authority of the Member States competent under national law to exercise

authority and to take coercive measures for the purpose of preventing,

detecting or investigating criminal offences including to maintain security and

public order;

(2) ‘critical communication’ means electronic communication that is not publicly

available, and which is essential for communication in emergencies and crisis

situations and for restoring or maintaining security and public safety;

(3) ‘users of critical communications’ means physical or legal persons that provide

public services of critical nature whose effective provision of which may

require situational awareness or confidential and uninterrupted communication

and that are recognised by Member States as such;

(4) ‘critical communication services’ means standardised electronic

communication services that provide enabling capabilities for competent law

enforcement authorities and other public authorities in charge of security and

safety;

(5) ‘non-terrestrial network’ means a network, or segments of a network, that use

an airborne or space-borne platform to host transmission equipment, which can

function as a relay node or a base station;

(6) ‘critical communication interconnection’ means the resilient technical and

operational linking of national critical communication systems via a network of

dedicated connectivity means, -such as fibre optics-, therefore enabling cross-

border critical communication;

(7) ‘public network’ means a public electronic communications network that is not

dedicated to governmental or mission-critical use;

(8) ‘radio access network’ means the part of a mobile network that connects user

devices to the mobile core network;

(9) ‘critical communication core’ means a mobile core network in accordance

with applicable European Telecommunications Standards- used for critical

communication that serves users separately from publicly available electronic

communication services and includes additional safeguards in terms of

resilience, and security to ensure guaranteed service and reliability providing

users with optimal quality of service, priority and pre-emption over

commercial users in emergency situations where Radio Access resources are

shared;

EN 30 EN

(10) ‘broadband critical communication’ means IP based packet switched critical

communication that enables Gigabit connectivity and real-time data, video,

text, voice and conferencing services;

(11) ‘narrowband critical communication’ means critical communication that is not

based on mission critical broadband, such as those defined under ETSI EN 300

392-1;

(12) ‘harmonised standard’ means a harmonised standard as defined in Article 2(1),

point (c), of Regulation (EU) No 1025/201249.

CHAPTER II

FRAMEWORK FOR CRITICAL COMMUNICATION IN THE MEMBER STATES

Article 4

Competent authorities

1. Each Member State shall designate a competent authority which shall have at least

the following tasks:

(a) prepare and implement the critical communication strategy as referred to in

Article 5;

(b) ensure the overall functioning, resilience and security of the critical

communication system in that Member State, including ensuring that it is used

in compliance with the interoperability, security, resilience and operational

requirements laid down by this Regulation;

(c) oversee the evolution of the critical communication system of that Member

State from narrowband towards broadband critical communication, as well as

any other technological development affecting critical communication;

(d) supervise personnel, networks and equipment necessary for the functioning of

the critical communication system of the Member State and take the measures

to allow for its interconnection with other Member States’ systems;

(e) ensure that providers of public electronic communications networks comply

with obligations in relation to Article 8 of this Regulation;

(f) act as single point of contact for the Commission and for the other competent

authorities for the purpose of the implementation of this Regulation;

49 Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 on

European standardisation, amending Council Directives 89/686/EEC and 93/15/EEC and Directives

94/9/EC, 94/25/EC, 95/16/EC, 97/23/EC, 98/34/EC, 2004/22/EC, 2007/23/EC, 2009/23/EC and

2009/105/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Council Decision

87/95/EEC and Decision No 1673/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 316,

14.11.2012, p. 12, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2012/1025/oj).

EN 31 EN

(g) nominate a representative to the System Accreditation Board referred to in

Article 10;

(h) carry out pilot projects for the further development of the EUCCS, using

dedicated parts of the critical communication system of the Member State as

testbeds, validating and integrating state-of-the-art technologies and innovative

solutions before deployment of those deployments.

2. By 3 months after the entry into force of this Regulation at the latest each Member

State shall notify its competent authority to the Commission.

3. Each Member State shall ensure that its competent authority has the powers and the

adequate financial, human and technical resources to carry out, in an effective and

efficient manner, the tasks assigned to it.

4. Each Member State shall ensure that its competent authority, whenever appropriate,

and in accordance with Union and national law, consults and cooperates with other

relevant authorities, including the national competent authority established in

accordance with Article 68(4) of Regulation (EU) 2021/696 and Article 11(4) of

Regulation (EU) 2023/588.

Article 5

Critical Communication Strategy of the Member State

1. Member State shall adopt and transmit to the Commission a critical communication

strategy. That strategy shall set out the measures required for the transition from

existing narrowband to broadband and packet switched critical communication, as

well as for the interconnection of the critical communication system of the Member

State to the systems of other Member States.

2. The critical communication strategy shall include at least the following elements:

(a) defining the users of the Member State’s critical communication system;

(b) determining the framework for procurement for the purposes of the transition

to the broadband critical communication system and of the interconnection via

the critical communication interconnection infrastructure established on the

basis of commercial agreements with providers of publicly available electronic

communication networks;

(c) setting out the framework for the strategic collaboration with providers of

publicly available electronic communication networks and their role to ensure

the resilience of critical communication services;

(d) describing the deployment of the Member State’s critical communication

system in line with Article 6 and the measures to ensure its resilience in line

with Article 7;

(e) ensuring its coherence with national broadband plans;

(f) determining the transition period for narrowband critical communication

systems;

(g) outlining investment plans and envisaged funding;

EN 32 EN

(h) setting out the steps to be taken for interconnection with other Member States’

critical communication systems;

(i) setting out a framework and schedule for regular monitoring and, where

appropriate, adaptation of the national critical communication system to the

continuous innovation in critical communication and commercial electronic

communications, ensuring the future-proof evolution of its critical

communication system.

3. Member States shall regularly review and, where appropriate, update their critical

communication strategies and communicate any updates to the Commission upon

their adoption.

Article 6

Critical communication system of Member States

1. Critical communication system of a Member State shall consist as a minimum of the

following components:

(a) radio access network;

(b) critical communication core;

(c) critical communication services.

2. In accordance with the deadlines and requirements laid down in this Regulation and

the maturity levels set out in the Annex, each Member State shall establish its-critical

broadband communication system using existing network infrastructures offered by

providers of publicly available electronic communication networks to the extent

possible and appropriate on a shared basis using advanced traffic differentiation

techniques such as network slicing. Member States may use narrowband systems for

their critical communication systems as back-up and for providing additional

coverage.

3. Each Member State shall ensure that its critical communication system is able to

establish an interconnection with the critical communication systems of other

Member States by complying with the standards as defined under Article 11.

4. Member States shall exchange best practices on the use of EU-harmonised spectrum

suitable for critical communications in accordance with Implementing Decision (EU)

2016/687.

5. Member States shall ensure that services, systems and interconnection components

used for their critical communication system comply with standards as referred to in

Article 11 and are subject to conformity assessment, certification, interoperability

testing and field validation.

6. Member States may carry out pilot projects for the further development of the

System, including via the use of dedicated parts of the Member States’ critical

communication systems as for testing, validating and integrating state-of-the-art

technologies and innovative solutions before deployment.

EN 33 EN

Article 7

Resilience of Member States’ critical communication systems

1. Member States shall ensure a high level of resilience and security of their critical

communication systems. For that purpose, Member States shall:

(a) take appropriate and proportionate technical, operational and organisational

measures that reflect the principles of security by design and by default to

ensure the cybersecurity of the critical communication systems and its

components, including, where relevant, measures listed in Article 21(2) of

Directive (EU) 2022/2555 of the European Parliament and of the Council50;

(b) take appropriate and proportionate technical, security and organisational

measures to ensure the resilience of the critical communication systems and its

components, including, where relevant, measures listed in Article 13(1) of

Directive (EU) 2022/255751;

(c) meet pre-defined specific requirements to ensure the highest level of resilience

and appropriate separation end-to-end from any publicly available commercial

communications services. Such separation may be achieved through physical,

logical, technical, operational, organisational and/or contractual measures,

provided that those measures effectively guarantee the required level of

security, resilience, availability and control. Such separation shall not preclude

the deployment of critical communication services over public electronic

communications networks on a shared infrastructure basis;

(d) ensure the sovereignty, the exclusion of high-risk suppliers and overall supply

chain security related to the Critical Communication Core and any other key

ICT assets, in accordance with Regulation (EU) XXX/XXXX of the European

Parliament and the Council [on the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity

(ENISA), the European cybersecurity certification framework, and ICT supply

chain security and repealing Regulation (EU) 2019/881]52;

(e) ensure that critical communication data is not subject to third country

legislation requiring providers to grant, assist or support access to their

authorities or any other party.

2. Member States shall establish their critical communication security operations

centre. Those centres shall ensure the secure operation of the national critical

communications system and cooperation with the European Union Security

Monitoring Centre referred to in Article 15. Member States shall notify those centres

to the Commission upon establishment.

3. The Commission is empowered to adopt an implementing act establishing minimum

requirements for the security and resilience of the Member States’ critical

50 Directive (EU) 2022/2555 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 December 2022 on

measures for a high common level of cybersecurity across the Union, amending Regulation (EU) No

910/2014 and Directive (EU) 2018/1972, and repealing Directive (EU) 2016/1148 (NIS 2 Directive)

(OJ L 333, 27.12.2022, p. 80, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2022/2555/oj) 51 Directive (EU) 2022/2557 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 December 2022 on the

resilience of critical entities and repealing Council Directive 2008/114/EC (OJ L 333, 27.12.2022, p.

164, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2022/2557/oj) 52 [COM(2026) 11 final, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:52026PC0011]

EN 34 EN

communication systems. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance

with the examination procedure referred to in Article 22(2).

4. This Regulation shall not preclude Member States from adopting or maintaining

provisions of national law with a view to achieving a higher level of resilience of

critical communication systems, provided that such provisions do not interfere with

Member States’ obligations laid down in Union law.

Article 8

Use of public electronic communications networks for critical communication

1. Member States shall ensure the availability of public electronic communications

networks to convey critical communications with the level of quality required to

ensure its uninterrupted availability and effective functioning, including in

emergency and crisis situations subject to the relevant commercial agreements with

providers of such public electronic communication services. Such level of quality

shall take into account relevant technical parameters, including latency, jitter, packet

loss and throughput.

2. In situations of network congestion, or other duly justified cases, Member States

shall ensure that providers of public electronic communications networks implement

traffic management measures ensuring prioritisation and pre-emption of traffic

related to critical communication, in accordance with Article 3 of Regulation (EU)

2015/2120 of the European Parliament and of the Council53.

3. Remuneration for the conveyance of critical communications over public electronic

communications networks, including data, shall be subject to commercial agreements

between the relevant parties and shall be based on fair and reasonable terms and

conditions. Such remuneration shall not be excessive.

CHAPTER III

UNION-LEVEL GOVERNANCE

Article 9

European Union Critical Communication Group

1. The European Union Critical Communication Group (‘the Group’) is established.

2. The Group shall be composed of one representative for each of the Member States,

which are nominated by Competent Authorities and notified to the Commission, and

one representative of the Commission, nominated by the Director-General of the

53 Regulation (EU) 2015/2120 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2015

laying down measures concerning open internet access and amending Directive 2002/22/EC on

universal service and users’ rights relating to electronic communications networks and services and

Regulation (EU) No 531/2012 on roaming on public mobile communications networks within the

Union (OJ L 310, 26.11.2015, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2015/2120/oj).

EN 35 EN

Directorate for Internal Affairs and Migration of the European Commission. The

Commission’s representative shall chair the Group. Where relevant for the

performance of its tasks, the Group may nominate permanent observers or invite

relevant stakeholders and other Commission services to participate in its work,

including the meetings of the Group. Where requested by the European Parliament,

the Chair may invite a representative from the European Parliament to attend one or

several meetings of the Group.

3. The Group’s tasks include:

(a) providing strategic guidance to Member States on the establishment and further

development of the System and the Member States’ components;

(b) collecting, exchanging and making available to relevant stakeholders best

practices on matters related to critical communication, such as resilience,

security, operational aspects, procurement or innovation;

(c) contributing to the preparation of implementing and delegated acts stemming

from this Regulation;

(d) reviewing and, where appropriate, providing input on the Mission Critical

Broadband Strategies as referred to in Article 5;

(e) providing guidance for Member States on compliance with Article 7(1), points

(c) and (d);

(f) cooperating with relevant Union institutions, bodies and agencies, third

countries or international organisations on matters related to this Regulation;

(g) monitor the progress of standardisation related to critical communication and

cooperate with relevant standardisation organisations;

(h) adopting non-binding guidance or recommendations on matters related to

critical communication;

(i) reviewing the outcome of assessment missions as referred to in Article 13 and,

where appropriate, making use of the results of such missions in the

identification of best practices according to point (b) of this paragraph and in

the provision of guidance and recommendations according to point (h) of this

paragraph;

(j) where relevant, assisting the Commission in the development of related

policies and documents, including on internal security, digital transition, space

connectivity or civil protection;

(k) exchanging on any topic relevant for critical communication.

Article 10

System Accreditation Board

1. A System Accreditation Board (‘the Board’) is established.

2. The Board shall be composed of a representative of each Member State, nominated

by the competent authority, and of a representative of the Commission.

Representatives of Member States shall be duly qualified in the field of critical

communication and accrediting communication systems, have an appropriate level of

security clearance, where necessary, and act objectively.

EN 36 EN

3. The Board shall assess Member States’ systems readiness for connection to the

EUCCS, on the basis of maturity levels set out in the Annex. The Board shall assess

the readiness of the Member State system, based on assessment missions in

accordance with Article 13 and on any other relevant information after notification

by the Member State of the readiness of the national system for accreditation.

4. The Board shall send to the Commission the outcome of the assessment without

undue delay and where possible within three months of the notification.

5. The Commission may adopt implementing acts laying down procedural

arrangements necessary for the functioning and decision-making of the Board. Those

implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure

referred to in Article 22(2).

CHAPTER IV

SYSTEM ACCREDITATION AND INTERCONNECTION

Article 11

Standards and general principles of accreditation and interconnection

1. Member States' critical communication systems shall, in order to be accredited,

comply with European and international standards and technical specifications

related to critical communication covering at least the following requirements:

(a) the proper functioning and interoperability of the components laid down in

Article 6(1);

(b) the use of broadband critical communication systems that use existing public

electronic communication network infrastructures laid down in Article 6(2);

(c) the ability of a Member States’ critical communication system to establish an

interconnection with the critical communication systems of other Member

States laid down in Article 6(3);

(d) technical, security and organisational measures to ensure the resilience and

cybersecurity of critical communication systems as laid down in Article 7(1);

2. The Commission shall adopt a delegated act to supplement the requirements for

critical communication systems of Member States referred to in paragraph 1 by

establishing the list of relevant standards.

3. Member States shall ensure compliance of their critical communication systems with

the standards referred to in this Article and shall pursue accreditation of those

systems by requesting the Board to accredit the national system and ensuring full

cooperation of all relevant entities during the accreditation process.

4. Taking into account the outcome of the assessment of the critical communication

system by the Board, referred to in Article 10(3), the Commission shall decide on

granting or refusing the accreditation, by means of an implementing act. Those

implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure

referred to in Article 22(2).

EN 37 EN

5. When their critical communication system is accredited, Member States shall ensure

the interconnection of their national system via the critical communication

interconnection infrastructure referred to in Article 13 and in accordance with Article

14.

Article 12

Assessment missions

1. Upon receipt of a request for accreditation of a critical communication system of a

Member States, the Commission shall organise a mission to assess the compliance

with the requirements for accreditation set out in this Regulation and with the

standards referred to in Article 11.

2. In duly justified cases, the Board may also request the Commission to organise a

mission to a Member State whose critical communication system has already been

accredited to verify continuous compliance.

3. The Commission may request Member States to provide information before a

mission, notably on the functioning of the Member States’ critical communication

framework, national legal provisions affecting the components of the Member States’

critical communication system, standards adhered to, certifications obtained, as well

as system and interconnection technical performances, compliance with requirements

relating to the relevant the maturity levels of the EUCCS set out in the Annex.

4. The Commission shall, following a consultation with the Member State whose

critical communication system is assessed, select and appoint the members of each

mission. Each mission shall consist of experts from the Member State, experts from

any other Member States and Commission representatives. Additional experts,

including from Union Agencies or bodies, may be nominated as observers by the

Commission to join a mission.

5. Member States shall ensure that entities involved in their national critical

communication system provide missions with full and unhindered access to

information, systems and facilities, without prejudice to that Member State’s

responsibility for national security and the protection of its security interests.

6. The Commission, based on the findings of the mission, shall communicates its

opinion to the Board and the Member State whose critical communication system

was assessed.

7. The Member State that hosts the critical communication system shall ensure that its

competent authority and entities involved in the critical communication system

concerned take into account the findings and provide information to the Commission

and Board on the measures it has taken pursuant to the findings of the mission.

8. The Board shall consider the findings of the mission in its decision for accreditation

of a Member State’s system.

EN 38 EN

Article 13

Critical communication interconnection infrastructure

1. The Commission shall make available a critical communication interconnection

infrastructure that facilitates the interconnection of Member States’ systems. The

Critical Communication Interconnection infrastructure shall:

(a) provide connectivity dedicated to communications and information exchange

between Member States’ critical communication systems;

(b) ensure confidentiality, integrity and availability of communications and related

data;

(c) be designed to remain operational and performant, including during crises

affecting all electronic communication networks used for critical

communications.

2. The Critical Communication interconnection infrastructure shall use an existing

Union secure network for communications to connect Member States’ critical

communication systems.

3. The critical communication interconnection infrastructure shall be designed and

operated to minimise exposure to threats and reduce any attack surface.

4. The Commission and the Member States shall ensure continuity of service for the

interconnection by taking resilience measures thar are coherent with the measures

taken under Article 7.

Article 14

Gradual establishment

1. Interconnection of the accredited critical communication systems of the Member

States shall be implemented in three stages:

(a) the first stage shall start on 1 December 2030, as provided for in

paragraph 2;

(b) the second stage shall start on 1 December 2033, as provided in

paragraph 3;

(c) the third stage shall start on 1 December 2036, as provided in

paragraph 4.

2. Member States whose critical communication systems comply with the requirements

for the initial maturity level as set out in the Annex and have been accredited by the

Commission under the conditions set out in Article 11(4) by the dates referred to in

paragraph 1, point (a) shall interconnect their systems with other Member States’

accredited systems in the first stage.

3. Member States whose critical communication systems comply with the requirements

for the initial and advanced maturity levels as set out in the Annex and have been

accredited by the Commission under the conditions set out in Article 11(4) by the

date referred to in paragraph 1, point (b) shall interconnect their systems with other

EN 39 EN

Member States’ accredited systems in the second stage. The Member States referred

to in paragraph 2 shall comply with the requirements for the advanced maturity level

by the date referred to in paragraph 1, point (b).

4. All Member States shall ensure that their critical communication systems comply

with the requirements for the initial, advanced and optimal maturity levels as set out

in the Annex and that those systems have been accredited by the Commission

pursuant to Article 11(4) under the conditions set out in Article 10 by the date

referred to in paragraph 1, point (c).

5. The Commission shall make publicly available the list of Member States that are to

be included in the stages as defined in paragraph 1.

6. The EUCCS shall commence operations from the date referred to in paragraph 1,

point (a).

7. Member States may engage in bilateral or regional interconnection of their critical

communication systems prior to the dates referred to in paragraph 1, provided those

systems comply with the requirements set out in this Regulation.

8. Member States may engage with neighbouring third countries and territories that do

not contravene the interests of the Union, in view of establishing targeted

interconnection between respective critical communication systems, provided the

third country or territories’ critical communication system abides to the standards as

referred to in Article 11.

9. Before pursuing bilateral, or regional, interconnection as referred to in paragraphs 7

and 8, concerned Member States shall notify the Commission prior to the start of the

interconnection, and the Commission shall in turn inform the Board and the Group

without delay.

CHAPTER V

EUROPEAN UNION COMPONENTS

Article 15

European Union Critical Communication Network Monitoring Centre

1. The Commission shall establish a European Union Critical Communication Network

Monitoring Centre (‘Network Monitoring Centre’) for the System by 1 December

2029.

2. The European Union Critical Communication Network Monitoring Centre shall

perform, inter alia, the following tasks:

(a) host the Critical communication interconnection infrastructure;

(b) support the interconnection of Member States’ critical communication systems

as referred to in Article 14;

EN 40 EN

(c) monitor the availability, performance, and continuity of Union-level critical

communication roaming and interconnection;

(d) enable the roaming of users of critical communication systems across Member

States;

(e) monitor transmission for cross-border operational needs, including critical

communication roaming authentication and authorisation arrangements for

visiting users of the Member States’ critical communication systems;

(f) support cross-border testing of critical communications roaming functionality

and interoperability between Member States’ critical communication systems.

3. The Network Monitoring Centre shall cooperate closely with the European Security

Monitoring Centre and shall provide it, without undue delay, with network events,

performance information and other operational data necessary for cybersecurity

monitoring, incident detection and response.

4. The Network Monitoring Centre’s activities shall be without prejudice to the

provisions of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2023/2841 of the European Parliament and

of the Council54.

Article 16

European Union Critical Communication Security Monitoring Centre

1. The Commission shall establish a European Security Monitoring Centre (‘Security

Monitoring Centre’) to collect and aggregate information on threats to the System by

1 December 2029.

2. To this end, the Member States’ Critical Communication Security Operations

Centres as referred to in Article 7 shall provide reports on a regular basis concerning

security incidents, vulnerabilities and risks affecting the System to the European

Security Monitoring Centre. A Critical Communication Security Operations Centre

shall notify any incident that interferes with or interrupts the functioning of the

national critical communications system or of its interconnection (‘critical incident’)

to the Security Monitoring Centre without delay and latest within [48 hours] of the

discovery of the incident.

3. The European Security Monitoring Centre shall monitor the System’s overall

security indicators, including authentication and authorisation events, trust

management, certificate status, access attempts, abnormal roaming patterns, misuse

of interconnection interfaces and threats affecting the communication infrastructure.

4. The Security Monitoring Centre and the Network Monitoring Centre shall provide

evidence to the System Accreditation Board for its decisions to accredit a Member

State system, or to verify its continuous compliance, by assessing the security,

cybersecurity and resilience requirements for the Member States’ critical

communication systems and their interconnections.

54 Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2023/2841 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December

2023 laying down measures for a high common level of cybersecurity at the institutions, bodies, offices

and agencies of the Union (OJ L, 2023/2841, 18.12.2023, ELI:

http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/2841/oj).

EN 41 EN

5. The Security Monitoring Centre shall support testing of security controls for roaming

authentication and authorisation, trust management, interconnection interfaces and

mission-critical service interoperability.

6. The Security Monitoring Centre shall issue recommendations, propose mitigation

measures or suggest corrective actions concerning security incidents, vulnerabilities

and risks affecting Union-level critical communication roaming, communication

infrastructure, users’ authentication and mission-critical service interoperability. It

shall provide on a regular basis reports to the Commission, the European Union

Critical Communications Group, and the System Accreditation Board. In case of a

critical incident as referred to in paragraph 1, it shall provide a report without undue

delay. It shall cooperate with the Member States’ competent authorities and

cybersecurity authorities, CSIRTs Network members and relevant Union bodies and

agencies to manage incidents and to follow-up on recommendations and corrective

actions.

CHAPTER VI

OPERATIONAL SUPPORT

Article 17

Standard operating procedures

1. The Commission is empowered to adopt implementing acts to lay down standard

operating procedures for the Member States’ competent law enforcement authorities,

for the consistent, efficient and compliant use of the EUCCS for interagency and

cross-border critical communications. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in

accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 22(2).

2. The standard operating procedures shall lay down the roles, tasks, coordination

mechanisms and protocols needed for the operational use of the System with regards

to:

(a) the Member State competent authority referred to in Article 4;

(b) the cooperation of the Member State competent authority with the competent

authorities designed under Regulations (EU) 2021/696 and (EU) 2023/588;

(c) the cooperation of the Member State competent authority with the Union Civil

Protection Mechanism and Emergency Response Coordination Centre

(d) the operational cooperation between Member States’ competent law

enforcement authorities and other organisations using the EUCCS.

3. The standard operation procedures shall cover the following elements with regards to

cross-border critical communications:

(a) defining which service leads the communication arrangements based on the

incident type or location;

(b) establishing shared situational awareness and ensuring an efficient response;

(c) determining the responsibilities of the host and visiting countries’ authorities at

strategic, operational and tactical level;

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(d) establishing communication and interaction protocols, including for alerting,

group communication, fleet-mapping and dispatching, training and joint

learning.

Article 18

Use of Union Satellite Secure Connectivity services

1. Where authorised by a competent authority designed under the Regulations (EU)

2021/696 and (EU) 2023/588, the GOVSATCOM and IRIS² Competent Authorities,

users and devices of the System shall employ secure satellite connectivity services

provided under GOVSATCOM and IRIS² to extend, complement, or back up

terrestrial networks for emergency services in cases of unavailability, degradation,

overload, or compromise. The competent authorities designated under Regulations

(EU) 2021/696 and (EU) 2023/588, shall retain sole discretion over the approval of

such access and the allocation of resources between users. The allocation of

GOVSATCOM and IRIS2 capacities between users should be made in accordance

with the rules defined under Regulations (EU) 2021/696 and (EU) 2023/588.

2. For back-up and complementary coverage, as well as for direct-to-device

connectivity, users and devices of the EUCCS shall have access to secure

governmental communications services provided by the operator of the secure

MSS/hybrid system in accordance with Regulation (EU) XXX/XXXX of the

European Parliament and the Council [on the procedure for authorisation of systems

providing mobile satellite services using the harmonised 2 GHz frequency band and

repealing Decision No 626/2008/EC] 55.

3. When the services are accessed pursuant to paragraph 1 or paragraph 2, they shall be

used in the following four operational service modes:

(a) stationary mode in which fixed infrastructure providing backup

connectivity for critical communications during terrestrial network

outages;

(b) communication-on-the-pause in which rapidly deployable satellite

connectivity for emergency services in scenarios where fixed

infrastructure is temporarily unavailable or insufficient;

(c) communication-on-the-move in which continuous connectivity for

vehicles, vessels, aircraft, and aerial platforms, enabling real-time

command, control, and coordination during operations;

(d) direct-to-device in which satellite connectivity directly to handsets or

other user equipment used by competent authorities, in line with the MSS

Regulation or in the context of GOVSATCOM and IRIS2 , where such

services are available.

4. The Commission is empowered to adopt implementing acts to specify:

(a) the required capacity, capabilities, and technical standards for each

operational service mode referred to in paragraph 2;

55 [COM(2026) 311 final, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:52026PC0311]

EN 43 EN

(b) the governance, security, and accreditation rules for the use of satellite

connectivity within the EUCCS, in accordance with the operational

requirements of critical communication;

(c) the prioritisation and service allocation procedures between the EUCCS

users at national level, ensuring uninterrupted access for law enforcement

authorities without exceeding the approved capacity and budgetary

limits.

5. In preparing the draft implementing acts, the Commission shall take into account the

operational requirements of EUCCS users. Those implementing acts shall not affect

the application of Regulations (EU) 2021/696, (EU) 2023/588 and Regulation (EU)

XXX/XXX[on the procedure for authorisation of systems providing mobile satellite

services using the harmonised 2 GHz frequency band and repealing Decision No

626/2008/EC].

6. The implementing acts referred to in paragraph 3 of this Article shall be adopted in

accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 22(2).,

7. Member State competent authorities designated under Article 4 of this Regulation

shall cooperate with competent authorities designated under Regulations (EU)

2021/696 and (EU) 2023/588s, as well as the Commission in the context of

Regulation (EU) XXX/XXX [on the procedure for authorisation of systems

providing mobile satellite services using the harmonised 2 GHz frequency band and

repealing Decision No 626/2008/EC] to ensure the availability, interoperability, and

effective use of secure satellite connectivity services within national critical

communication systems. Such cooperation shall include:

(a) the authorisation for the access to the services, at national level;

(b) the alignment of security and accreditation standards;

(c) the monitoring and reporting of service performance, incidents, and

compliance with Union rules, including capacity usage and budgetary

impacts.

8. For Member States participating in the EUCCS, but not participating in the relevant

Union space programmes, access to non-terrestrial or secure connectivity services

shall be subject to the applicable international agreements, association arrangements

or specific operational agreements governing such access concluded with the Union

or with participating Member States in accordance with Article 8(1) of Regulation

(EU) 696/2021 and Article 40 of Regulation (EU) 588/2023.

Article 19

Commission support to Member States

1. The Commission shall support the coordination of Member States’ technical and

operational cooperation on critical communication.

2. The support referred to in paragraph 1 may include:

EN 44 EN

(a) providing testbeds to prepare for the interconnection as referred to in Chapter

IV;

(b) funding of trials and exercises for emergency services to test the

interoperability of critical communication systems, operational procedures or

resilience of critical communication systems;

(c) supporting Member States in cooperating with industry and research to ensure

the continuous innovation of critical communication in the Union;

(d) supporting technical cooperation projects with third countries, in particular

candidate countries and potential candidates, with a view of achieving targeted

interoperability;

(e) the support referred to in paragraph 2 may be subject of Union funded projects.

CHAPTER VII

EVALUATION

Article 20

Evaluation

1. By [five years after the entry into force of this Regulation], and every five years

thereafter, the Commission shall submit a report to the European Parliament and to

the Council on the implementation of this Regulation, including detailed information

on how each Member State has implemented it, and shall, where appropriate,

propose amendments to this Regulation.

2. Member States shall, at the request of the Commission, provide it with the

information necessary for the preparation of the report referred to in paragraph 1, no

later than nine months before the expiry of the reporting deadline.

3. The reports referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article shall, where relevant, take into

account the results of evaluations carried out pursuant to Council Regulation (EU)

2022/92256, in particular as regards communication and the exchange of information.

CHAPTER VIII

DELEGATED AND IMPLEMENTING ACTS

56 Council Regulation (EU) 2022/922 of 9 June 2022 on the establishment and operation of an evaluation

and monitoring mechanism to verify the application of the Schengen acquis, and repealing Regulation

(EU) No 1053/2013 (OJ L 160, 15.6.2022, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2022/922/oj).

EN 45 EN

Article 21

Exercise of the delegation

1. The power to adopt delegated acts is conferred on the Commission subject to the

conditions laid down in this Article.

2. The power to adopt delegated acts referred to in Article 11 (2) shall be conferred on

the Commission for an indeterminate period from the entry into force of this

Regulation.

3. The delegation of power referred to in Article 11 (2) may be revoked at any time by

the European Parliament or by the Council. A decision to revoke shall put an end to

the delegation of the power specified in that decision. It shall take effect the day

following the publication of the decision in the Official Journal of the European

Union or at a later date specified therein. It shall not affect the validity of any

delegated acts already in force.

4. Before adopting a delegated act, the Commission shall consult experts designated by

each Member State in accordance with the principles laid down in the

Interinstitutional Agreement of 13 April 2016 on Better Law-Making.

5. As soon as it adopts a delegated act, the Commission shall notify it simultaneously to

the European Parliament and to the Council.

6. A delegated act adopted pursuant to Article 11 (2) shall enter into force only if no

objection has been expressed either by the European Parliament or by the Council

within a period of two months of notification of that act to the European Parliament

and the Council or if, before the expiry of that period, the European Parliament and

the Council have both informed the Commission that they will not object. That

period shall be extended by two months at the initiative of the European Parliament

or of the Council.

Article 22

Committee procedure

1. The Commission shall be assisted by a committee. That committee shall be a

committee within the meaning of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011.

2. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Article 5 of Regulation (EU) No

182/2011 shall apply.

EN 46 EN

CHAPTER IX

FINAL PROVISIONS

Article 23

Responsibilities for operation and maintenance

1. The costs incurred by the Member State for the operation, maintenance, development

and modernisation of their critical communication system shall be borne by each

Member State.

2. Each Member State shall set up and maintain at their expense the technical

infrastructure necessary to implement their obligations under this Regulation at

national level and shall be responsible for bearing the associated costs.

Article 24

Entry into force

This Regulation shall enter into force on the […] day following that of its publication in the

Official Journal of the European Union.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in the Member States in

accordance with the Treaties.

Done at Brussels,

For the European Parliament For the Council

The President The President

EN 1 EN

LEGISLATIVE FINANCIAL AND DIGITAL STATEMENT

ANNEX 4

Contents

1. CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL ............................................................................... 1

2. LEGAL BASIS, SUBSIDIARITY AND PROPORTIONALITY ............................... 4

3. RESULTS OF EX-POST EVALUATIONS, STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATIONS

AND IMPACT ASSESSMENTS ................................................................................ 6

4. BUDGETARY IMPLICATIONS .............................................................................. 11

5. OTHER ELEMENTS ................................................................................................ 12

1. FRAMEWORK OF THE PROPOSAL/INITIATIVE ................................................. 3

1.1. Title of the proposal/initiative ...................................................................................... 3

1.2. Policy area(s) concerned .............................................................................................. 3

1.3. Objective(s) .................................................................................................................. 3

1.3.1. General objective(s) ..................................................................................................... 3

1.3.2. Specific objective(s) ..................................................................................................... 3

1.3.3. Expected result(s) and impact ...................................................................................... 5

1.3.4. Indicators of performance ............................................................................................ 5

1.4. The proposal/initiative relates to: ................................................................................. 6

1.5. Grounds for the proposal/initiative .............................................................................. 6

1.5.1. Requirement(s) to be met in the short or long term including a detailed timeline for

roll-out of the implementation of the initiative ............................................................ 6

1.5.2. Added value of EU involvement (it may result from different factors, e.g.

coordination gains, legal certainty, greater effectiveness or complementarities). For

the purposes of this section 'added value of EU involvement' is the value resulting

from EU action, that is additional to the value that would have been otherwise

created by Member States alone. ................................................................................. 7

1.5.3. Lessons learned from similar experiences in the past .................................................. 8

1.5.4. Compatibility with the multiannual financial framework and possible synergies with

other appropriate instruments ....................................................................................... 8

1.5.5. Assessment of the different available financing options, including scope for

redeployment ................................................................................................................ 9

1.6. Duration of the proposal/initiative and of its financial impact .................................. 10

1.7. Method(s) of budget implementation planned ........................................................... 10

2. MANAGEMENT MEASURES................................................................................. 12

2.1. Monitoring and reporting rules .................................................................................. 12

2.2. Management and control system(s) ........................................................................... 12

EN 2 EN

2.2.1. Justification of the budget implementation method(s), the funding implementation

mechanism(s), the payment modalities and the control strategy proposed ................ 12

2.2.2. Information concerning the risks identified and the internal control system(s) set up

to mitigate them.......................................................................................................... 13

2.2.3. Estimation and justification of the cost-effectiveness of the controls (ratio between

the control costs and the value of the related funds managed), and assessment of the

expected levels of risk of error (at payment & at closure) ......................................... 13

2.3. Measures to prevent fraud and irregularities .............................................................. 13

3. ESTIMATED FINANCIAL IMPACT OF THE PROPOSAL/INITIATIVE ............ 14

3.1. Heading(s) of the multiannual financial framework and expenditure budget line(s)

affected ....................................................................................................................... 14

3.2. Estimated financial impact of the proposal on appropriations ................................... 15

3.2.1. Summary of estimated impact on operational appropriations.................................... 15

3.2.1.1. Appropriations from voted budget ............................................................................. 15

3.2.3. Summary of estimated impact on administrative appropriations ................................. 1

3.2.3.1. Appropriations from voted budget ................................................................................ 1

3.2.4. Estimated requirements of human resources................................................................ 1

3.2.4.1. Financed from voted budget......................................................................................... 2

3.2.5. Overview of estimated impact on digital technology-related investments .................. 4

3.2.6. Compatibility with the current multiannual financial framework................................ 5

3.2.7. Third-party contributions ............................................................................................. 5

3.3. Estimated impact on revenue ....................................................................................... 6

4. Digital dimensions ................................................................................................................. 6

4.1. Requirements of digital relevance ....................................................................................... 6

EN 3 EN

1. FRAMEWORK OF THE PROPOSAL/INITIATIVE

1.1. Title of the proposal/initiative

Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and Council on the European

Union Critical Communication System (EUCCS).

1.2. Policy area(s) concerned

Internal security, civil protection, digital and space.

1.3. Objective(s)

1.3.1. General objective(s)

The general objective is to enhance Europe’s capacity to react swiftly and effectively

to incidents and crises that require response across borders and by cooperation of

different types of emergency services.

1.3.2. Specific objective(s)

Specific objective No 1: Promote interoperable and secure cross-border and cross-

agency/operator critical communication and operational mobility among emergency

services.

The objective is to provide for emergency services a resilient critical communication

infrastructure that enables seamless operational mobility promote interoperability

and strengthen cross-border and cross-agency operational mobility for an enhanced

emergency response . Specifically, all the critical communication systems of law

enforcement, civil protection, and other emergency response services across Member

States need to be harmonised and interconnected.

Specific objective No 2: Support Member States to deploy broadband critical

communication systems.

The ability to exchange data-rich information, such as images or video, across

borders and in real time was highlighted as a central reason for the upgrade of the

current legacy systems used, notably TETRA. Most of the Member States report a

planned upgrade of their national legacy narrowband systems.

There is no contradiction between the upgrade of narrowband systems and the

transition to broadband. All critical communication systems in Member States will

run for a certain time in a hybrid setting, in which TETRA and mission-critical

broadband will run in parallel. This is called the ‘migration phase’ in which user

groups shift step by step from TETRA to broadband networks. Member States may

furthermore decide to run TETRA systems for longer periods to have a proven and

widely available back-up solution for voice communication, which remains the

single most important type of communication that must not fail during an emergency.

It is important to underline that it is not EUCCS that ‘replaces’ TETRA. It is the

EN 4 EN

technological shift to broadband, that is already taking place, that will phase out

narrowband technologies, like it has done already in commercial telecommunication.

EUCCS is established therefore precisely at this moment in time, to use the ongoing,

but still early transition towards mission-critical broadband to also introduce the

interoperability requirement. EUCCS itself is agnostic to the possibility of Member

States continue to run a narrowband system in parallel to their broadband system, on

the condition that their hybrid solution allows for the interconnection with other

Member States, covers the identified emergency services and offers the necessary

functionalities. That is also why a ‘cut-off’ clause for narrowband systems (like the

copper switch-off in the DNA) has not been considered.

Targeted interviews point to the need of transition to broadband to allow for the

deployment of interoperable 5G mission-critical capabilities. Broadband

communications technology satisfies the current and evolving needs for increasing

data consumption, supporting advanced functionalities, such as real time incident

reporting, high-resolution Geographic Information System (GIS), and high

bandwidth data exchange (i.e., live video, biometric data), and facilitating the

integration of Artificial Intelligence. In this regard, interviewees also underlined the

role of harmonisation at technological level in making national investment in critical

communications more attractive, while supporting the development of a more

integrated and technologically advanced European critical communications

ecosystem overall.

To conclude, a consensus is observed as to the necessity to transition to broadband as

this would ensure that critical communication systems remain technologically robust,

reliable, and future‑proof, able to adapt to new technologies and develop new

capabilities.

Specific objective No 3: Facilitate the achievement of a high and consistent level of

resilience of critical communications across Member States.

Resilient infrastructure is needed to ensure connectivity and availability in all

circumstances. In this context, resilience refers to the capacity of critical

communication infrastructures to withstand, absorb, and rapidly recover from natural

and man-made threats. Notably this can be achieved by ensuring advanced backup

power, redundant coverage, separation of mission critical core network and radio

access network as well as protocol and cryptographic security. In terms of security a

broadband system would improve encryption and authentication allowing for

stronger protection against cyberattacks. Resilient critical communication systems

can thus be achieved by progressively strengthening the robustness of national

critical communication systems through common resilience and security baselines

and the deployment of advanced protective measures at EU level. Survey findings

indicate that further action at the EU level would strengthen the overall resilience of

national critical communication systems . Furthermore, achieving this specific

objective would contribute to future-proofing critical communication systems,

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increasing Europe’s strategic autonomy in cases of geopolitical developments that

harm EU interests.

1.3.3. Expected result(s) and impact

Specify the effects which the proposal/initiative should have on the beneficiaries/groups targeted.

Expected results

ER1: Enhanced operational mobility across borders and agencies for public

authorities in charge of security and safety.

ER2: Increased resilience of Member States national critical communication system.

ER3: Increased operational efficiency Member States national critical

communication system.

ER4: Progressive development and deployment of new or upgraded critical

communication infrastructure, devices, applications and services, stimulating the

continuous evolution of critical communication system.

ER5: National critical communication system can respond to evolving user needs and

technological innovations.

Expected impacts:

EI1: Enhanced EU-wide preparedness and coordinated crisis response against natural

or man-made disasters, terrorist and cross-border crimes, and armed conflicts

through secure, reliable and interoperable critical communication systems that

support coordinated action by all relevant emergency services.

EI2: Positive social impacts, including greater citizen trust, safety, security and civil

protection across Member States enabled by faster, more coordinated and effective

emergency responses, ultimately resulting in saving lives.

EI3: Positive environmental impacts, including earlier detection with faster and

better coordinated cross-border responses to natural disasters, thereby reducing

environmental damage.

1.3.4. Indicators of performance

Specify the indicators for monitoring progress and achievements.

The successful implementation of SO1 will be measured by the number of Member

States that have interconnected critical communication systems, providing cross-

border and inter-agency critical communication. This will be assessed in three stages:

2030, 2033, and 2036.

The successful implementation of SO2 would be measured by the number of

Member States who deployed mission critical broadband systems as well as the total

number of emergency services’ personnel that are connected to those systems.

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The successful implementation of SO3 would be measured by the compliance of

Member States to the commonly agreed minimum resilience requirements.

To measure the success and effectiveness of the EUCCS, the below Key

Performance Indicators have been identified, based on the EUCCS Operational Plan

endorsed by the European Commission in May 2025. By monitoring these Key

Performance Indicators, the European Commission can ensure that EUCCS will

effectively meet its general objective: enhance Europe’s capacity to react effectively

and efficiently to cross-border and cross-agency incidents and crises, through a

secure and resilient critical communication infrastructure across the EU and

Schengen area.

1.4. The proposal/initiative relates to:

a new action

a new action following a pilot project / preparatory action57

the extension of an existing action

a merger or redirection of one or more actions towards another/a new action

1.5. Grounds for the proposal/initiative

1.5.1. Requirement(s) to be met in the short or long term including a detailed timeline for

roll-out of the implementation of the initiative

Following the principle of gradual establishment and by using leveraged maturity

models like the ENISA CSIRT Maturity Assessment model and the CISA Zero

Trust Maturity model, each Member State should gradually establish its mission-

critical communication system by progressing through the below maturity levels and

dimensions. Standardisation and certification, including on interoperability and

security, will also play an important role in the different dimensions.

Each level should be understood as a target for each Member State to reach .

Member States should establish their national mission-critical mobile broadband

services capability from today’s ‘traditional’ to ‘initial’ capability and evolve the

maturity of its secure communication system towards ‘optimal’, progressing through

all four maturity stages:

• Traditional – current

• Initial – to be achieved by 2030

• Advanced – to be achieved by 2033

• Optimal – to be achieved by 2036

The assessment of Member State’s maturity of their national mission-critical

communication system, regarding their maturity within the EUCCS, should be

carried out by peer review by all Member States (via MCCG). The MCCG shall

57 As referred to in Article 58(2), point (a) or (b) of the Financial Regulation.

EN 7 EN

follow jointly agreed criteria for the peer review. The concerned Member State

submits evidence which is reviewed by all the other Member States.

1.5.2. Added value of EU involvement (it may result from different factors, e.g.

coordination gains, legal certainty, greater effectiveness or complementarities). For

the purposes of this section 'added value of EU involvement' is the value resulting

from EU action, that is additional to the value that would have been otherwise

created by Member States alone.

Reasons for action at EU level (ex-ante)

Over the past few years, Member States have experienced increasingly frequent and

more severe natural and man-made disasters. Disasters such as the Covid-19

pandemic, catastrophic floods of July 2021 affecting Germany, Belgium and the

Netherlands, the Iberian Peninsula blackout in April 2025, or the forest wildfires that

took place throughout Europe in summer 2026. Crises affecting more than one

Member State and requiring joint response are the new normal. Member States

acknowledge thus the need for EU action: the Mission Critical Communication

Group endorsed in 2025 the EUCCS Operational Plan to facilitate the task of

coordinating the establishment of EUCCS. There are thus strong involvement and

constant consultation with Member States, which requested action by the

Commission on EUCCS, including by proposing a legal basis. Also in relevant

Council working parties, as well as at the level of the Council itself, Member States

had asked for the establishment of EUCCS for many years.

Furthermore, the study highlighted that one of the key challenges affecting the

current situation of critical communications across the EU is the existence of varying

levels of technological maturity of critical communication systems across the EU .

Given that these systems evolve from different baselines, shaped by different

budgetary capabilities, procurement cycles, and national risk appetite, the transition

toward advanced technologies is progressing at an uneven pace.

Given that EUCCS will cover the whole of the EU and the Schengen area and will

need to rely on a set of binding common rules, there is no realistic alternative to EU

action. In the absence of such action, Member States would need to engage in a very

large number of bilateral and multilateral agreements, operational procedures and

technical arrangements, assuming they would still pursue the goal of interconnecting

their next generation mission critical communication systems.

Expected generated EU added value (ex-post)

The Union’s action can be considered more effective than what Member States

acting alone can do, as it can establish a harmonised EU framework facilitating

cross-border and interagency critical communications. Completing EUCCS for the

whole of the EU and Schengen area by 2036 will directly benefit the operations of

around five million members of emergency services in Europe to save lives and

prevent harm to health and property, presenting one of the highest added values.

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EUCCS will streamline the costly deployment of mission-critical broadband and thus

create benefits for adequately planning of human and financial resources. Assuming

all Member States are completing the transition to broadband by 2036, Member

States remain responsible for covering the costs for their national systems. Several

Member States (e.g. France, Finland) are currently allocating national funding for

this purpose, using also EU funding such as the Recovery and Resilience Facility.

Other Member States indicated in the Mission Critical Communication Group that

they would seek EU financial support to transition to mission critical broadband.

Such funding could easier be part of the future EU funding programmes, if it

corresponded to a legal obligation.

When measuring the added value of EU action, it is important to consider that the

technical basis for EUCCS is the result of cooperation of the Commission, Member

States and European industry. The components of the system have been developed

and tested by Member States’ stakeholders, notably around 100 emergency services

to validate that the solution creates added value.

1.5.3. Lessons learned from similar experiences in the past

The EU-funded project Inter System Interoperability for TETRA-TetraPol Networks

(ISITEP), developed a cross-border communication infrastructure based on IP

integration. It was not further pursued for logistical, budgetary and operational

reasons. Furthermore, there have been previous attempts at connecting TETRA

systems, but only the Nordic countries - Norway, Sweden and Finland - succeeded in

integrating their networks in the Inter-System Interface (ISI)58. Attempts to replicate

the Nordic success at EU-level did not yield tangible results59.

The Regulation is based on more than 10 years of EU-funded research. BroadMap

and BroadWay projects (2016 – 2022) was based on a voluntary approach that

should lead to a coordinated procurement of inter-operable solutions. The project led

to the common understanding of Member States and the Commission services that

only an approach based on binding EU-level rules is likely to successfully establish

EUCCS.

1.5.4. Compatibility with the multiannual financial framework and possible synergies with

other appropriate instruments

Without prejudice to the outcome of the negotiations on the next Multiannual

financial framework (MFF) the proposal, may be supported by Union programmes in

accordance with the objectives set out in the regulations establishing those funds and

programmes. The LFDS presents estimated budgetary impact under Heading 4

including related human and administrative resources.

58 Norway and Sweden Interconnect Secure Radio Communication Networks - TCCA. 59 However, many of the key lessons have been translated into EUCCS via the EUCCS Preparation

Project, which included since its start experts from ISI. Notably the need to supplement technical

interoperability with Operational Procedures and to set up a governance for the system to function are

lessons-learnt from the Nordics. The same is true for the experience of international partners, notably

the U.S. FirstNet.

EN 9 EN

1.5.5. Assessment of the different available financing options, including scope for

redeployment

Without prejudice to the outcome of the negotiations on the next Multiannual

financial framework (MFF) the proposal, may be supported by Union programmes in

accordance with the objectives set out in the regulations establishing those funds and

programmes. The LFDS presents estimated budgetary impact under Heading 4

including related human and administrative resources.

EN 10 EN

1.6. Duration of the proposal/initiative and of its financial impact

limited duration

–  in effect from [DD/MM]YYYY to [DD/MM]YYYY

–  financial impact from YYYY to YYYY for commitment appropriations and

from YYYY to YYYY for payment appropriations.

unlimited duration

– Implementation with a start-up period from 2030,

– followed by full-scale operation.

1.7. Method(s) of budget implementation planned60

Direct management by the Commission

–  by its departments, including by its staff in the Union delegations;

–  by the executive agencies

Shared management with the Member States

Indirect management by entrusting budget implementation tasks to:

–  third countries or the bodies they have designated

–  international organisations and their agencies (to be specified)

–  the European Investment Bank and the European Investment Fund

–  bodies referred to in Articles 70 and 71 of the Financial Regulation

–  public law bodies

–  bodies governed by private law with a public service mission to the extent that

they are provided with adequate financial guarantees

–  bodies governed by the private law of a Member State that are entrusted with

the implementation of a public-private partnership and that are provided with

adequate financial guarantees

–  bodies or persons entrusted with the implementation of specific actions in the

common foreign and security policy pursuant to Title V of the Treaty on

European Union, and identified in the relevant basic act

–  bodies established in a Member State, governed by the private law of a

Member State or Union law and eligible to be entrusted, in accordance with

sector-specific rules, with the implementation of Union funds or budgetary

guarantees, to the extent that such bodies are controlled by public law bodies or

by bodies governed by private law with a public service mission, and are provided

with adequate financial guarantees in the form of joint and several liability by the

60 Details of budget implementation methods and references to the Financial Regulation may be found on

the BUDGpedia site: https://myintracomm.ec.europa.eu/corp/budget/financial-rules/budget-

implementation/Pages/implementation-methods.aspx.

EN 11 EN

controlling bodies or equivalent financial guarantees and which may be, for each

action, limited to the maximum amount of the Union support.

Comments

The funding indicated for the EUCCS European components and the Member States’

interconnection component will be directly mananged by the Commission.

The methods of budget implementation of the sources of financing and scope of Union

financial commitment in the post-2027 period remain subject to the outcome of

interinstitutional negotiations on the MFF 2028-2034

EN 12 EN

2. MANAGEMENT MEASURES

2.1. Monitoring and reporting rules

This Regulation will establish a System Accreditation Board comprising of delegates

from Member States to assess the progressive maturity of national critical

communication systems in line with the EUCCS, including notably if a Member

State is ready to join EUCCS. It would build on the EUCCS maturity approach

(Traditional → Initial 2030 → Advanced 2033 → Optimal 2036) . Its activities

would cover the verification of national critical communication systems

interconnection, roaming readiness, rollout of baseline mission critical services and

key enabling capabilities, as well as alignment with the EUCCS security and

resilience expectations, notably recognised cybersecurity management practices and

the progressive uptake of European Telecommunications Standards Institute/Global

Certification Forum standardisation and certification . Maturity assessment would be

conducted through a structured peer-review process using objective and

proportionate criteria and evidence, ensuring comparability. For legal reasons, the

function of the System Accreditation Board cannot be performed by the European

Union Critical Communication Group (or any other comitology committee).

A Member State critical communication system is accredited by the System

Accreditation Board. The Commission should organise a monitoring mission to

assess the compliance with the obligations set out in this Regulation. In duly justified

cases, the Board may also request the Commission to organise a monitoring mission

to one or several Member States whose critical communication system have been

already accredited to verify continuous compliance.

Each monitoring mission shall consist of experts from the Member State in which the

critical communication system is located, experts from other Member States and

Commission representatives. Additional experts, including from EU Agencies or

bodies, may be nominated as observers to join a mission.

The Commission shall, following a consultation with the Member State that operates

the critical communication system, select and appoint the members of each

monitoring mission in accordance with their professional capacity.

The Commission should inform the European Union Critical Communication Group

of the organisation of a monitoring mission.

Furthermore, relevant Regulation(s) related to the MFF 2028-2034 will applied.

2.2. Management and control system(s)

2.2.1. Justification of the budget implementation method(s), the funding implementation

mechanism(s), the payment modalities and the control strategy proposed

By five years after the entry into force of this Regulation, and every five years

thereafter, the Commission should submit a report to the European Parliament and to

the Council on the implementation of this Regulation, including detailed information

EN 13 EN

on how each Member State has implemented it, and should, where appropriate,

propose amendments to this Regulation.

Similarly, the Member States should, at the request of the Commission, provide it

with the information necessary for the preparation of the report no later than nine

months before the expiry of the reporting deadline.

Concerning the management and control systems, relevant provisions related to the

MFF 2028-2034 will be applied.

2.2.2. Information concerning the risks identified and the internal control system(s) set up

to mitigate them

Concerning management and control systems, relevant provisions related to the MFF

2028-2034 will be applied.

2.2.3. Estimation and justification of the cost-effectiveness of the controls (ratio between

the control costs and the value of the related funds managed), and assessment of the

expected levels of risk of error (at payment & at closure)

Concerning management and control systems, relevant provisions related to the MFF

2028-2034 will be applied.

2.3. Measures to prevent fraud and irregularities

The existing fraud preventive measures applicable to the Commission will cover the

appropriations necessary for this Regulation. Concerning prevention of fraud and

irregularities, relevant provisions related to the MFF 2028-2034 will be applied.

EN 14 EN

3. ESTIMATED FINANCIAL IMPACT OF THE PROPOSAL/INITIATIVE

The estimated impact on expenditure and staffing for 2028 and beyond is added for

illustrative purposes only and does not pre-judge the next Multiannual Financial

Framework. The source of financing and scope of Union financial commitment in the

post-2027 period remain subject to the outcome of interinstitutional negotiations on

the MFF 2028-2034 and thereafter shall be determined through the annual budgetary

procedure. All appropriations and staffing allocations as of 2028 are indicative.

3.1. Heading(s) of the multiannual financial framework and expenditure budget

line(s) affected

• Existing budget lines

In order of multiannual financial framework headings and budget lines.

Heading of

multiannual

financial

framework

Budget line Type of

expenditure Contribution

Number

Diff./Non-

diff.61

from

EFTA

countries 62

from

candidate

countries

and

potential

candidates 63

From

other

third

countries

other assigned

revenue

Contribution

.

61 Diff. = Differentiated appropriations / Non-diff. = Non-differentiated appropriations. 62 EFTA: European Free Trade Association. 63 Candidate countries and, where applicable, potential candidates from the Western Balkans.

EN 15 EN

3.2. Estimated financial impact of the proposal on appropriations

3.2.1. Summary of estimated impact on operational appropriations

–  The proposal/initiative does not require the use of operational appropriations

–  The proposal/initiative requires the use of operational appropriations, as explained below

3.2.1.1. Appropriations from voted budget

EUR million (to three decimal places)

Heading of multiannual financial framework Number TBC

DG: HOME Year Year Year Year Year Year Year

TOTAL MFF 2028-2034 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 2034

Operational appropriations

Budget line Commitments (1a) p.m. p.m. p.m p.m p.m p.m p.m p.m

Payments (2a) p.m. p.m p.m p.m p.m p.m p.m p.m

Budget line Commitments (1b) 0

Payments (2b) 0

Appropriations of an administrative nature financed from the envelope of specific programmes64

Budget line (3) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

TOTAL appropriations Commitments =1a+1b+3 p.mp.mp.mp.mp.mp.mp.mp.m

64 Technical and/or administrative assistance and expenditure in support of the implementation of EU programmes and/or actions (former ‘BA’ lines), indirect research, direct research.

EN 16 EN

for DG <HOME65>Payments =2a+2b+3 p.mp.mp.mp.mp.mp.m

p.m

(

65 In view of the uncertainty with regard to the final outcome of the negotiation on the next Multi Annual Financial Framework, the estimated total amount for establishing EUCCS has

been provisionally inserted for DG HOME as policy lead service. This is without prejudice to the final allocation of funding resources for EUCCS and their financial management,

which is likely to be co-delegated across different DGs

EN 17 EN

=1a+1b+3

=2a+2b+3

EN 18 EN

1

Heading of multiannual financial framework 4 ‘Administrative expenditure’66

DG: <HOME> Year Year Year Year Year Year Year TOTAL

MFF 2028-

2034 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 2034

Ÿ Human resources 1.202 1.202 1.202 1.202 1.202 1.202 1.202 8.414

Ÿ Other administrative expenditure 0.620 0.870 0.870 1.120 0.870 0.870 1.120 6.340

TOTAL DG

<HOME> 1.822 2.072 2.072 2.322 2.072 2.072 2.322 14.754

66 The necessary appropriations should be determined using the annual average cost figures available on the appropriate BUDGpedia webpage.

EN 19 EN

DG: <DIGIT> Year Year Year Year Year Year Year TOTAL

MFF 2028-

2034 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 2034

Ÿ Human resources 0.388 0.388 0.388 0.388 0.388 0.388 0.388 2.716

Ÿ Other administrative expenditure 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

TOTAL DG

<DIGIT>Appropriations

0.388 0.388 0.388 0.388 0.388 0.388 0.388

2.716

TOTAL appropriations under

HEADING 4 of the multiannual

financial framework

(Total

commitments

= Total

payments)

2.210 2.460 2.460 2.710 2.460 2.460 2.710 17.470

The estimated impact on expenditure and staffing for 2028 and beyond is added for illustrative purposes only and does not pre-judge the next

Multiannual Financial Framework. The source of financing and scope of Union financial commitment in the post-2027 period remain subject to

EN 20 EN

the outcome of interinstitutional negotiations on the MFF 2028-2034 and thereafter shall be determined through the annual budgetary procedure.

All appropriations and staffing allocations as of 2028 are indicative

t

EN 21 EN

-

- Output

- Output

EN 22 EN

EN 1 EN

3.2.3. Summary of estimated impact on administrative appropriations

–  The proposal/initiative does not require the use of appropriations of an administrative nature

–  The proposal/initiative requires the use of appropriations of an administrative nature, as explained below

3.2.3.1. Appropriations from voted budget

VOTED APPROPRIATIONS Year Year Year Year Year Year Year TOTAL 2028

- 2034 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 2034

HEADING 4

Human resources 1.590 1.590 1.590 1.590 1.5901.5901.590 11.130

Other administrative expenditure 0.620 0.870 0.870 1.120 0.870 0.870 1.120 6.34

TotalHEADING 4 2.210 2.460 2.460 2.710 2.460 2.460 2.710 17.470

Outside HEADING 4

The estimated impact on expenditure and staffing for 2028 and beyond is added for illustrative purposes only and does not pre-judge the next Multiannual

Financial Framework. The source of financing and scope of Union financial commitment in the post-2027 period remain subject to the outcome of

interinstitutional negotiations on the MFF 2028-2034 and thereafter shall be determined through the annual budgetary procedure. All appropriations and

staffing allocations as of 2028 are indicative.

3.2.4. Estimated requirements of human resources

–  The proposal/initiative does not require the use of human resources

–  The proposal/initiative requires the use of human resources, as explained below

EN 2 EN

3.2.4.1. Financed from voted budget

Estimate to be expressed in full-time equivalent units (FTEs)67

VOTED APPROPRIATIONS Year Year Year Year Year Year Year

2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 2034

 Establishment plan posts (officials and temporary staff)

20 01 02 01 (Headquarters and Commission’s

Representation Offices) 6

6 6 6 6 6 6

20 01 02 03 (EU Delegations) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

(Indirect research) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

(Direct research) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Other budget lines (specify) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

• External staff (inFTEs)

20 02 01 (AC, END from the ‘global envelope’) 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

20 02 03 (AC, AL, END and JPD in the EU

Delegations) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Admin. Support line • at Headquarters 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

[XX.01.YY.YY] • in EU Delegations 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

(AC, END - Indirect research) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

(AC, END - Direct research) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Other budget lines (specify) - Heading 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Other budget lines (specify) - Outside Heading 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

TOTAL 10 10 10 10 10 10 10

67 Please specify below the table how many FTEs within the number indicated are already assigned to the management of the action and/or can be redeployed

within your DG and what are your net needs.

EN 3 EN

The estimated impact on expenditure and staffing for 2028 and beyond is added for illustrative purposes only and does not pre-judge the next

Multiannual Financial Framework. The source of financing and scope of Union financial commitment in the post-2027 period remain subject

to the outcome of interinstitutional negotiations on the MFF 2028-2034 and thereafter shall be determined through the annual budgetary

procedure. All appropriations and staffing allocations as of 2028 are indicative.

The staff required to implement the proposal (in FTEs):

To be covered by

current staff

available in the

Commission

services

Exceptional additional staff*

To be financed

under Heading 4

or Research

To be financed

from BA line

To be financed from fees

Establishment

plan posts

6 (5 AD and 1 AST

posts)

N/A

External staff

(CA, SNEs, INT)

4 (2 CA and 2

END)

Description of tasks to be carried out by:

Officials and temporary staff DG HOME (3 AD and 1 AST posts): Overall implementation of the EUCCS at

national and EU level, including management of the European Union Critical

Communication Group and the System Accreditation Board. Preparation and adoption

of implementing and delegated acts.

DG DIGIT (2 AD): Support to the establishment of the mission-critical

interconnection infrastructure. Establishment and operation of the European Network

Monitoring Centre and of the European Security Monitoring Centre.

EN 4 EN

External staff DG HOME (2 CA and 2 END): Support to the overall implementation of the EUCCS

at national and EU level, including management of the European Union Critical

Communication Group and the System Accreditation Board. Preparation and adoption

of implementing and delegated acts.

The estimated impact on expenditure and staffing for 2028 and beyond is added for illustrative purposes only and does not pre-judge the next

Multiannual Financial Framework. The source of financing and scope of Union financial commitment in the post-2027 period remain subject

to the outcome of interinstitutional negotiations on the MFF 2028-2034 and thereafter shall be determined through the annual budgetary

procedure. All appropriations and staffing allocations as of 2028 are indicative.

3.2.5. Overview of estimated impact on digital technology-related investments

Compulsory: the best estimate of the digital technology-related investments entailed by the proposal/initiative should be included in

the table below.

Exceptionally, when required for the implementation of the proposal/initiative, the appropriations under Heading 4 should be

presented in the designated line.

The appropriations under Headings 1-3 should be reflected as “Policy IT expenditure on operational programmes”. This expenditure

refers to the operational budget to be used to re-use/ buy/ develop IT platforms/ tools directly linked to the implementation of the

initiative and their associated investments (e.g. licences, studies, data storage etc). The information provided in this table should be

consistent with details presented under Section 4 “Digital dimensions”.

TOTAL Digital and IT

appropriations

Year Year Year Year Year Year Year TOTAL MFF

2028 - 2034

2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 2034

HEADING 4

EN 5 EN

IT expenditure (corporate) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Subtotal HEADING 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

3.2.6. Compatibility with the current multiannual financial framework

The proposal/initiative:

–  can be fully financed through redeployment within the relevant heading of the multiannual financial framework (MFF)

–  requires use of the unallocated margin under the relevant heading of the MFF and/or use of the special instruments as defined

in the MFF Regulation

– Without prejudice to the outcome of the negotiations on the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) the proposal may be

supported by Union programmes in accordance with the objectives set out in the regulations establishing those funds and

programmes.  requires a revision of the MFF

3.2.7. Third-party contributions

The proposal/initiative:

–  does not provide for co-financing by third parties

–  provides for the co-financing by third parties estimated below:

Appropriations in EUR million (to three decimal places)

Year Year Year Year Year Year Year

Total 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 2034

Specify the co-financing

body

TOTAL appropriations

co-financed

EN 6 EN

3.3. Estimated impact on revenue

–  The proposal/initiative has no financial impact on revenue.

–  The proposal/initiative has the following financial impact:

–  on own resources

–  on other revenue

–  please indicate, if the revenue is assigned to expenditure lines

EUR million (to three decimal places)

Budget revenue line:

Appropriations

available for the current

financial year

Impact of the proposal/initiative68

Year 2028 Year 2029 Year 2030 Year 2031 Year 2032 Year 2033 Year 2034

Article ………….

For assigned revenue, specify the budget expenditure line(s) affected.

Other remarks (e.g. method/formula used for calculating the impact on revenue or any other information).

4. DIGITAL DIMENSIONS

4.1. Requirements of digital relevance

High-level description of the requirements of digital relevance and related categories (data, process digitalisation & automation, digital

solutions and/or digital public services)

68 In the case of traditional own resources (customs duties, sugar levies), the amounts indicated must be net amounts, i.e. gross amounts after deduction of 10 % for

collection costs, as proposed in COM(2025)574.

EN 7 EN

Reference to

the

requirement

Requirement description Actors affected or

concerned by the

requirement

High-level Processes Categories

Article 1 Establishes the EU Critical

Communication System

(EUCCS).

European Commission,

Member States

Digital solution

Digital public service

Article 2 Member States shall ensure that

their national critical

communication systems used by

competent law enforcement

authorities are interoperable so

that they can be interconnected at

Union level.

European Commission,

Member States

Digital solution

Digital public service

Article 4 Each Member State to designate a

competent authority; for

competent authorities to cooperate

where possible.

Member States Digital public service

Data

Article 5 Member State shall adopt and

transmit to the Commission a

critical communication strategy.

European Commission,

Member States

Data

Article 6 Minimum requirements for

components of a Member State’s

critical communication system

Member States Digital solution

Digital public service

Article 7 Member States shall take the

necessary measures to ensure the

resilience of all components of

critical communication systems.

The Commission is empowered to

European Commission,

Member States

Digital solution

EN 8 EN

adopt an implementing acts

establishing minimum

requirements for the security and

resilience of the Member States’

critical communication systems.

Article 8 Member States shall ensure the

availability of public electronic

communications networks to

convey critical communications

with the level of quality required

to ensure its uninterrupted

availability and effective

functioning, including in

emergency and crisis situations

subject to the relevant commercial

agreements with providers of such

public electronic communication

services.

Member States, providers

of public electronic

networks

Data

Article 9

Article 10

Establishment of a European

Union Critical Communication

Group and a System Accreditation

Board

European Commission,

Member States

Digital public service

Article 11 To be accredited, Member States’

systems must comply with

relevant European/International

standards and specifications. Must

ensure interoperability, security,

resilience, and the proper

functioning. The Commission

may adopt delegated acts to this

effect.

European Commission,

Member States,

standardisation bodies

Digital solution

Digital public service

EN 9 EN

Article 13 Detailing the interconnection of

Member States’ critical

communication systems. The

Commission shall make available

a Critical Communication

Interconnection infrastructure that

facilitates the interconnection of

Member States’ systems.

European Commission,

Member States

Digital solution

Digital public service

Article 14 Interconnection of Member

States’ systems to the System

shall be implemented in three

stages.

European Commission,

Member States

Digital public service

Article 15

Article 16

The Commission shall establish: a

European Union Network

Monitoring Centre; a European

Union Security Monitoring

Centre.

European Commission, Digital public service

Data

Article 17 The Commission shall adopt an

implementing act to lay down

standard operating procedures for

the Member States’ competent

authorities and emergency

services for the consistent,

efficient, and compliant use of the

System.

European Commission Digital public service

Article 18 Requirements as to the use of EU

Satellite Secure Connectivity

services

European Commission,

Member States

Digital public service

Digital solution

Article 19 The Commission shall support the European Commission, Digital public service

EN 10 EN

coordination of Member States’

technical and operational

cooperation on critical

communication.

Member States

Article 20 Evaluations European Commission Data

4.2. Data

High-level description of the data in scope

Type of data Reference to the requirement(s) Standard and/or specification (if applicable)

Designation of competent authorities Article 4 –

Mission-critical broadband communication strategy Article 5 –

Communications conveyed over public electronic

communication networks

Article 8 Of required quality, including with regard to

parameters such as latency, jitter, packet loss, and

throughput

Report from the European Union Network Monitoring

Centre

Article 15 –

Information collected and aggregated by the European

Union Security Monitoring Centre

Article 16

Reports by the European Union Security Monitoring

Centre (issue recommendations, propose mitigation

measures or suggest corrective actions)

Article 16

Reports from the European Union Security Monitoring

Centre concerning security incidents, vulnerabilities, and

risks

Article 16

EN 11 EN

Critical incident notifications Article 16

Security evidence to be used for system accreditation

purposes

Article 16

Reports by the European Union Security Monitoring

Centre following a critical incident

Article 16

Report on the implementation of this Regulation Article 20 –

Information provided for the purpose of preparing an

evaluation report

Article 20 –

Alignment with the European Data Strategy

The EUCCS aligns with the European Data Strategy, as it is developed designed to put people first, uphold European values, and make more

data available for protectiong our societies.

The EUCCS aligns with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Alignment with the once-only principle

The EUCCS aligns with the once-only principle. The data remains with the Member States which will store, secure and reuse them following

the GDPR. Newly create data is accessible, interoperable and meets high-quality standards, facilitating the delivery of timely and efficient

crisis response across the European Union.

EN 12 EN

Data flows

High-level description of the data flows

Type of data Reference(s) to

the

requirement(s)

Actors who

provide the data

Actors who

receive the data

Trigger for the data

exchange

Frequency (if

applicable)

Designation of competent

authorities

Article 4 Member States European

Commission

Competent authority

designated (no later than

three months after the entry

into force of this Regulation)

//

Mission-critical broadband

communication strategy

Article 5 Member States European

Commission

Member State shall adopt and

transmit to the Commission a

critical communication

strategy. That strategy shall

set out the measures required

for the transition from

existing narrowband to

broadband and packet

switched critical

communication, as well as for

the interconnection of the

critical communication

system of the Member State

to the systems of other

Member States

Member States shall

regularly review and,

where appropriate,

update their critical

communication

strategies and

communicate any

updates to the

Commission upon

their adoption.

Communications conveyed

over public electronic

communication networks

Article 8 public electronic

networks

Member States Member States shall ensure

the availability of public

electronic communications

networks to convey critical

communications with the

level of quality required to

EN 13 EN

ensure its uninterrupted

availability and effective

functioning, including in

emergency and crisis

situations subject to the

relevant commercial

agreements with providers of

such public electronic

communication services.

Such level of quality shall

take into account relevant

technical parameters,

including latency, jitter,

packet loss and throughput.

Report from the European

Union Network Monitoring

Centre

Article 15 European Union

Network

Monitoring Centre

European

Commission

The European Network

Monitoring Centre shall

cooperate closely with the

European Security

Monitoring Centre and shall

provide it, without undue

delay, with network events,

performance information and

other operational data

necessary for cybersecurity

monitoring, incident

detection and response.

Information collected and

aggregated by the European

Union Security Monitoring

Centre

Article 16 Member States

Critical

Communication

Security

European Union

Security

Monitoring

Centre

The Member States’ Critical

Communication Security

Operations Centres as

referred to in Article 7 shall

provide reports on a regular

EN 14 EN

Operations Centres basis concerning security

incidents, vulnerabilities and

risks affecting the System to

the European Security

Monitoring Centre

Reports by the European

Security Monitoring Centre

(issue recommendations,

propose mitigation measures

or suggest corrective

actions)

Article 16 European Union

Security

Monitoring Centre

European

Commission

The European Security

Monitoring Centre shall issue

recommendations, propose

mitigation measures or

suggest corrective actions

concerning security incidents,

vulnerabilities and risks

affecting Union-level critical

communication roaming,

communication

infrastructure, users’

authentication and mission-

critical service

interoperability

Reports from the European

Security Monitoring Centre

concerning security

incidents, vulnerabilities,

and risks

Article 16 European Union

Security

Monitoring Centre

European

Commission

In case of a critical incident

as referred to in paragraph 1,

it shall provide a report

without undue delay. It shall

cooperate with the Member

States’ competent authorities

and cybersecurity authorities,

CSIRTs Network members

and relevant Union bodies

and agencies to manage

incidents and to follow-up on

recommendations and

corrective actions.

EN 15 EN

Critical incident

notifications

Article 16 European Union

Security

Monitoring Centre

European

Commission

In case of a critical incident

as referred to in paragraph 1,

it shall provide a report

without undue delay. It shall

cooperate with the Member

States’ competent authorities

and cybersecurity authorities,

CSIRTs Network members

and relevant Union bodies

and agencies to manage

incidents and to follow-up on

recommendations and

corrective actions.

Security evidence to be used

for system accreditation

purposes

Article 16 European Union

Security

Monitoring Centre

European

Commission

The European Security

Monitoring Centre shall

support testing of security

controls for roaming

authentication and

authorisation, trust

management, interconnection

interfaces and mission-critical

service interoperability

Reports by the European

Security Monitoring Centre

following a critical incident

Article 16 Member States

Critical

Communication

Security

Operations Centres

European Union

Security

Monitoring

Centre

A Critical Communication

Security Operations Centre

shall notify any incident that

interferes with or interrupts

the functioning of the

national critical

communications system or of

its interconnection (‘critical

incident’) to the European

Security Monitoring Centre

EN 16 EN

without delay and latest

within [48 hours] of the

discovery of the incident.

Report on the

implementation of this

Regulation

Article 20 European

Commission

European

Parliament and to

the Council

The Commission shall submit

a report to the European

Parliament and to the Council

on the implementation of this

Regulation, including detailed

information on how each

Member State has

implemented it, and shall,

where appropriate, propose

amendments to this

Regulation.

By five years after

the entry into force of

this Regulation, and

every five years

thereafter

Information provided for the

purpose of preparing an

evaluation report

Article 20 Member States European

Commission

Member States shall, at the

request of the Commission,

provide it with the

information necessary for the

preparation of the report

referred to in paragraph 1, no

later than nine months before

the expiry of the reporting

deadline.

4.3. Digital solutions

High-level description of digital solutions

EN 17 EN

Digital solution Reference(s)

to the

requirement(s)

Main mandated functionalities Responsible

body

How is

accessibility

catered for?

How is

reusability

considered?

Use of AI

technologies

(if

applicable)

EU Critical

Communications

System

(Interconnection via

the Mission Critical

Interconnection

infrastructure)

Article 1

Article 11

Article 13

Article 14

Article 19

The EU Critical Communications System

will interconnect the MS' critical

communication systems at the EU level

(connectivity for emergency services).

Secure, sovereign Mission Critical

Interconnection infrastructure that

facilitates the interconnection of Member

States’ systems. This shall:

• Provide connectivity dedicated to

communications and information

exchange between MSs' critical

communication systems

– Ensure confidentiality, integrity,

availability

– Be designed to remain operational

and performant, incl. during crises

affecting the public network.

Where authorised by the GOVSATCOM

and IRIS² Competent Authorities (CGA),

users and devices of the System shall have

access to secure satellite connectivity

services provided under: (a)

GOVSATCOM, as established by

Regulation (EU) 2021/696; and (b) IRIS²,

as established by Regulation (EU)

2023/588.

European

Commission

N/A

EN 18 EN

Member States’

critical

communication

systems

Article 6

Article 7

Article 11

Article 12

Shall comprise de minimis: Radio Access

Network; Critical Communication Core;

Mission Critical Services.

Must comply with relevant

European/International standards and

specifications. Ensure interoperability,

security, resilience, proper functioning.

Member

States

N/A

For each digital solution, explanation of how the digital solution complies with applicable digital policies and legislative enactments

EU Critical Communications System (Interconnection via the Mission Critical Interconnection infrastructure)

Digital and/or sectorial policy (when these are

applicable)

Explanation on how it aligns

AI Act Aspects to be further developed in implementing/delegated acts

EU Cybersecurity framework Limiting and prohibiting the use of equipment from high-risk suppliers, especially

those subject to intrusive third-country laws regarding national intelligence and data

security. Art. 7 - ensure the sovereignty, the exclusion of high-risk suppliers and

overall supply chain security related to at least the Critical Communication Core, in

alignment with the Cybersecurity Act 2 (CSA2)

eIDAS Aspects to be further developed in implementing/delegated acts

Single Digital Gateway and IMI Aspects to be further developed in implementing/delegated acts

Others

Member States’ critical communication systems

EN 19 EN

Digital and/or sectorial policy (when these are

applicable)

Explanation on how it aligns

AI Act Aspects to be further developed in implementing/delegated acts

EU Cybersecurity framework Article 7: reference made to Directive (EU) 2022/2557 (Critical Entities Resilience

Directive) and Directive (EU) 2022/2555 (NIS2). The Commission is empowered to

adopt an Implementing Act to further specify minimum requirements for the

security and resilience.

eIDAS Aspects to be further developed in implementing/delegated acts

Single Digital Gateway and IMI Aspects to be further developed in implementing/delegated acts

Others

4.4. Interoperability assessment

High-level description of the digital public service(s) affected by the requirements

Digital public service or

category of digital public

services

Description Reference(s) to the

requirement(s)

Interoperable

Europe Solution(s)

Other interoperability

solution(s)

Cross-border and cross-

agency critical

communication (EU

Critical Communications

System)

Interconnection of Member

States’ systems will be facilitated,

and a central EU level monitoring

capacity will be established. The

combination of those elements is

the EU-level component of the

EU Critical Communication

System (EUCCS). It will be

created an EU-level technical and

Article 1

Article 2

Article 4

Article 6

Article 11

Article 12

N/A N/A

EN 20 EN

component that provides the

initial interconnection

functionality for the Member

States’ systems and ensures high-

level monitoring of the Member

State networks.

EUCCS is expected to have a high

impact on digitalisation of Public

Administration and promote

broadband deployment. Critical

communication among emergency

services and other relevant forces

will contribute to digitalisation of

their operations. It will also

contribute to Digital Government

goals, including interoperability

of Public Services.

Article 14

Article 15

Article 16

Article 17

Article 18

Article 19

Impact of the requirement(s) as per digital public service on cross-border interoperability

Cross-border and cross-agency critical communication

Assessment Measure(s) Potential remaining

barriers (if applicable)

Alignment with existing digital and

sectorial policies

This Regulation is ensuring consistency with existing and forthcoming

EU initiatives (e.g., NIS2, the 5G Cybersecurity Toolbox, EU ICT

Supply Chain Security Toolbox).

–

Organisational measures for a smooth

cross-border digital public services

delivery

This Regulation will establish a governance architecture to ensure

coordinated implementation, consistent decision-making, and clear

accountability. More specifically:

EN 21 EN

Please list the governance

measures foreseen

– Each Member States would retain jurisdiction and operational

control over its infrastructure and servers. At the same time,

interconnection would be mandatory to guarantee operational

mobility and seamless cross-border communications. (Article 1;

Article 12)

– Member States must connect their national critical

communication systems within a defined transition period.

(Article 14)

• Designation of a National Competent Authority as the Member

States’ EUCCS single point of contact. The National Competent

Authority would oversee the development, implementation, and

operation of national mission critical broadband system and

services, ensure security and resilience, and enable

interoperability and cross-border cooperation, including EUCCS

testing, field exercises, and reporting processes. Each National

Competent Authority would need to appoint a Single Point of

Contact for coordination with other National Competent

Authorities. (Article 4)

• Member States must prepare a mission-critical broadband

communication strategy. This will set out measures to establish a

(national) critical communication system; to realise the transition

from existing narrowband/analogue communication systems to

mission-critical broadband; the interconnection into the System.

(Article 5)

• Establishment of a European Union Critical Communication

Group whose tasks include providing strategic guidance on the

establishment and further development of System and Member

States’ systems components. (Article 9)

• Framework for the accreditation of Member States’ systems. A

System Accreditation Board will be established to accredit the

readiness for inclusion of Member States’ systems into the

EN 22 EN

EUCCS based on the maturity levels detailed in the Annex to this

Regulation. Member States will be required to pursue

accreditation by making a request to the Board. (Article 10,

Article 12)

• A European Network Monitoring Centre will be established. This

will operate an IP interconnection exchange to facilitate

interconnection of critical communication systems and

monitoring of transmission capabilities. (Article 15)

• A European Security Monitoring Centre will be created to receive

and review reports and issue recommendations or corrective

actions on security incidents that affect Member States’ critical

communication systems. It does not handle security incidents

itself but acts as monitoring capacity. Following good practice

from the telecommunication sector and related policy domains,

the Network Monitoring Centre and Security Monitoring Centre

are going to be separate entities. They will be set up by the

European Commission, likely using framework contracts to

designate a specialised commercial service provider. (Article 16)

• The Commission shall adopt an implementing act to lay down

standard operating procedures for the Member States’ competent

authorities and emergency services for the consistent, efficient,

and compliant use of the System. The standard operating

procedures shall lay down the roles, tasks, coordination

mechanisms, and protocols needed for the operational use of the

System. They shall also cover elements with regard to cross-

border communication between different types of emergency

services. (Article 17)

• The Commission shall support the coordination of Member

States’ technical and operational cooperation on critical

communication. (Article 19)

Measures taken to ensure a shared //

EN 23 EN

understanding of the data

Use of commonly agreed open technical

specifications and standards

System Interconnections

– Member States shall ensure that Frontex and Europol and the

European Union Customs Authority is granted access to use the

EUCCS. (Article 2)

– Each Member State shall ensure that its mission-critical

broadband communication system is able to interconnect with the

systems of other Member States. (Article 6)

– Once the systems are accredited by the System Accreditation

Board, Member States shall ensure the interconnection of their

national systems with the EUCCS via the Mission Critical

Interconnection infrastructure (Article 11, 13 14).

–

Standards and Specifications

Interconnection would be based on common standards and agreed

technical profiles to ensure end-to-end interoperability verified prior to

connection to the EUCCS against conformance testbeds hosted by the

European Network Monitoring Centre. The testing would verify

technical, operational, and administrative conformance of the connected

national critical communication systems against the established

standards. The Commission may adopt delegated acts to establish a list or

relevant standards and technical specifications. (Article 11; Article 17)

Mission Critical Interconnection infrastructure (Article 13)

The Commission shall make available a secure, sovereign, Mission

Critical Interconnection infrastructure that facilitates the interconnection

of Member States’ systems. This will provide connectivity dedicated to

communications and information exchange between Member States’

EN 24 EN

critical communication systems.

Use of EU Satellite Secure Connectivity services (Article 18)

As concerning access to secure satellite connectivity services provided

under GOVSATCOM and IRIS², Member State competent authorities

shall ensure the availability, interoperability, and effective use of secure

satellite connectivity services within national critical communication

systems.

4.5. Measures to support digital implementation

High-level description of measures supporting digital implementation

Description of the measure Reference(s) to the

requirement(s)

Commission role

(if applicable)

Actors to be

involved

(if applicable)

Expected timeline

(if applicable)

Member States will adopt and maintain an

EUCCS strategy/roadmap aligned with the

EU legislative act and the EUCCS

Operational Plan.

Article 5 Member States

The Commission is empowered to adopt an

Implementing Act to further specify

minimum requirements for the security and

resilience of Member States’ critical

communication systems.

Article 7 Adopt an

Implementing Act

European

Commission

EN 25 EN

The Commission may adopt delegated acts

to establish a list of relevant standards and

technical specifications that Member States’

systems must comply with.

Article 11 Adopt Delegated

Act

Member States,

standardisation

bodies

The Commission shall adopt implementing

acts as relating to the use of EU Satellite

Secure Connectivity services

Article 18 Adopt an

Implementing Act

GOVSATCOM

and IRIS²

Competent

Authorities

EN 1 EN

EN EN

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Brussels, 30.9.2026 COM(2026) 1010 final

ANNEX

ANNEX

to the

Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE

COUNCIL

establishing the European Union Critical Communication System (EUCCS)

{SEC(2026) 1010 final} - {SWD(2026) 1010 final} - {SWD(2026) 1011 final}

EN 1 EN

Annex

The following operational and technical requirements shall apply for initial, advanced and

optimal maturity levels:

Maturity

levels

Operational and technical requirements

Initial

maturity

level

1. Users: More than 50% of the total number of users of critical

communication defined by a Member State are connected to and using

the Member State critical communication broadband system.

2. User services: Use of mission-critical compliant applications, services

and devices, with focus on information exchange and shared situational

awareness.

3. Coverage: Mobile networks cover at least 70% of the Member State’s

land territory. Rapidly deployable communication tools and systems are

deployed within three days.

4. Operations: Information exchange and shared situational awareness for

operations.

5. Resilience: 8 hours backup power for the radio access network and

redundant backhaul.

6. Security: Standardised protocols and cryptographic security.

7. Spectrum: Shared spectrum with mission-critical users having priority.

8. Devices: Fit-for-purpose, including quality of service, priority and pre-

emption.

Advanced

maturity

level

1. Users: All users of critical communication defined by a Member States

use the Member State system.

2. User services: Use of mission-critical specific applications.

3. Coverage: Mobile networks cover at least 80% of the Member State’s

land territory.

(1) Rapidly deployable communication tools and systems are

deployed within two days.

(2) Satellite direct to device communication is integrated in the

Member State’s system.

4. Operations: Response enhanced by AI decision support and automatic

language translation tools.

5. Resilience: Advanced backup power.

6. Security: Advanced, including post-quantum cryptography.

7. Spectrum: Shared spectrum with mission-critical users having priority.

8. Devices with new functionalities, for example with augmented and

virtual reality.

EN 2 EN

9. Supply chain: Use of a trusted ICT supply chain.

Optimum

maturity

level

1. Users: All users of critical communication use the Member State

system.

2. User services: Use of evolved applications, using innovative devices

beyond smartphones.

3. Coverage: Mobile networks cover at least 90% of the Member State’s

land territory and 95% of the population. Rapidly deployable

communication tools and systems are deployed within one day.

4. Operations: Use of support tools for predictive and automated

response.

5. Resilience: Redundancy ensured by diversity of access.

6. Security: Post-quantum capable. Quantum key distribution.

7. Spectrum: Shared spectrum with mission-critical users having priority

and dedicated spectrum.

8. Devices: Terminals interoperable, supporting common services for

shared situational awareness and response.

9. Supply chain: Use of a trusted ICT supply chain.

    Resolutsiooni liik: Riigikantselei resolutsioon Viide: Justiits- ja Digiministeerium /  / ; Riigikantselei /  / 2-5/26-02120

Resolutsiooni teema: Euroopa Liidu kriitilise side süsteemi (EUCCS) loomine ja kasutamine

Adressaat: Justiits- ja Digiministeerium Ülesanne: Tulenevalt Riigikogu kodu- ja töökorra seaduse § 152` lg 1 p 2 ning Vabariigi Valitsuse reglemendi § 3 lg 4 palun valmistada ette Vabariigi Valitsuse seisukohtade ja otsuste eelnõud järgmiste algatuste kohta, kaasates seejuures olulisi huvigruppe ja osapooli:

- Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL establishing the European Union Critical Communication System (EUCCS), COM(2026)1010

- Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL establishing the framework for the use of the European Union Critical Communication System by the Member States’ services and other organisations in charge of civil protection and amending Regulation (EU) …/…, COM(2026)1020

EISi toimiku nr: 26-0485 Tähtaeg: 04.12.2026

Adressaat: Kaitseministeerium, Kliimaministeerium, Rahandusministeerium, Riigikantselei, Siseministeerium, Sotsiaalministeerium Ülesanne: Palun esitada oma sisend Justiits- ja Digiministeeriumile seisukohtade kujundamiseks antud eelnõu kohta (eelnõude infosüsteemi (EIS) kaudu). Tähtaeg: 18.11.2026

Lisainfo: Eelnõusid on kavas arutada valitsuse 17.12.2026. aasta istungil ning Vabariigi Valitsuse reglemendi § 6 lg 6 kohaselt sellele eelneval nädalal (09.12.2026) EL koordinatsioonikogus. Esialgsed materjalid EL koordinatsioonikoguks palume esitada hiljemalt 04.12.2026.

Kinnitaja: Nele Grünberg, Euroopa Liidu asjade direktori asetäitja Kinnitamise kuupäev: 22.10.2026 Resolutsiooni koostaja: Sandra Metste [email protected],  

.