On 10 July 2026, the European Commission adopted a Communication providing Member States and their critical entities with non-binding guidance on technical, security and organisational measures to strengthen the resilience of critical infrastructure against natural and man-made risks.
The Communication offers practical guidance to help address all hazards that could lead to disruptive incidents, including cross-sectoral or cross-border risks, accidents, natural disasters, public health emergencies, drone attacks, hybrid threats and other antagonistic threats. It includes recommendations on preventing failures or disruptions of essential services, physically protecting critical infrastructure, mitigating and recovering from disruptive incidents, and improving employee security management and resilience awareness.
The guidelines are intended to support EU countries in implementing the Critical Entities Resilience Directive and to help critical entities in enhancing their resilience so that services essential to societal welfare and economic activity remain uninterrupted in the face of external threats. The Directive provides a framework for EU countries to develop national strategies, carry out regular risk assessments and identify critical entities, which must in turn take technical, security and organisational measures to improve their resilience.
The guidance was also identified as a key action under the EU Action Plan on Drone and Counter-Drone Security and includes considerations specifically relevant to countering drone-related threats. As highlighted in the European Internal Security Strategy, ProtectEU, the prompt and correct transposition and implementation of the Directive by all EU countries is essential to reduce vulnerabilities and strengthen resilience.
The Commission said it will continue to support EU countries in reinforcing the protection of critical infrastructure and the resilience of critical entities across the EU. The guidelines were developed following extensive multi-stakeholder consultations, with input from Member States, European sectoral associations covered by the Directive, and in close cooperation with international partner organisations.
