BRUSSELS -- The European Commission said Thursday it was drawing up a plan to fight cyber crime and that a recent wave of hacker attacks on major Internet sites would spur it to press ahead.
"These attacks create a clear sense of urgency to tackle this difficult issue as soon as possible," Commission spokesman Per Haugaard told Reuters.
Haugaard said the content of the EU executive's proposals was as yet unclear. The Commission will be holding a series of meetings with EU member states and online firms in March to hammer out a policy document.
However, he said it was likely to suggest that law enforcement authorities be trained in cyber crime prevention techniques and would aim to bring about improved cross-border cooperation between police forces within the EU.
He said the commission was expected to adopt the policy document before the summer although it had not decided whether specific legislation on the issue was required.
The Commission said in a statement that the policy document "would raise the awareness of the need for the use of effective security measures by service providers and access to the latest relevant technologies, including encryption."
It said it would be willing to fund projects in this area and noted that EU member states already had begun to coordinate action to tackle cyber crime with the United States.
Earlier this week one or more computer vandals disrupted several popular Web sites on three consecutive days, targeting online brokerages and search engines.
