Subsea cables form the invisible backbone of Europe’s digital, energy, and economic security. Approximately 98% of global internet traffic transits through submarine cables, carrying everything from financial transactions and cloud services to government communications and critical infrastructure data.

As geopolitical tensions rise and maritime domains become more contested, the resilience and security of this infrastructure have drawn increasing attention from both governments and industry. This growing concern was reflected in the New York Joint Statement on the Security and Resilience of Undersea Cables in a Globally Digitalized World (“New York Principles”), initially signed by 17 countries in September 2024 and now more than 30 countries, which signaled a shared commitment to protecting undersea cable infrastructure and identified priority areas for international cooperation, including the need to deepen public-private collaboration.

The Center for Cybersecurity Policy and Law’s (CCPL) whitepaper, "Shoring Up Subsea Cable Security," built on this momentum by proposing a global action plan to translate these high-level principles into more concrete policy and operational measures.

Drawing on the original paper’s 34 recommendations, this analysis tailors and refines them for the EU landscape, offering region-specific recommendations designed to support European institutions, Member States, and private operators in strengthening the resilience, security, and governance of subsea cable infrastructure cutting across the Union. Read it below: