CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURES: EUROPEAN CONTEXT AND EVOLUTION OF THE LAW

This conceptual paper aims to investigate the European regulatory framework of topic “protection of critical infrastructures”, starting from the genesis of the terminology up to the examination of the contents of the most recent European legislation. The normative study, initially, focuses on the contents of Directive2008/114/EC - the first real European legislative reference - received in Italy with Legislative Decree 61 of 2011; the second part, instead, is dedicated to the analysis of the more recent Directive (EU) 2022/2557 which represents the current European regulatory instrument aimed to regulate a theme that has become increasingly central, also in light of the growing number of attacks against Member States. Directive (EU) 2022/2557, in addition to repeal the previous one, is proposed as a much broader and more complete rule capable of providing the elements to regulate a very complex topic. The paper shows how the European Union is making great efforts not only to regulate the matter, but also to clarify its boundaries and transversal aspects.