Wiley Handbook of Science and Technology for Homeland Security, 4 Volume Set

POLAND*

MANUEL SUTER AND ELGIN BRUNNER

Center for Security Studies (CSS), ETH Zurich, Switzerland

1 CRITICAL SECTORS

According to expert opinion, Poland perceives those physical and cyber-based systems as critical infrastructures that are essential to the minimum required operations of the economy and the government. They include the following sectors:

• Telecommunications,
• Energy,
• Banking and Finance,
• Transportation,
• Chemical Industry,
• Water and Sewage Systems,
• Private and governmental emergency services [1].

In the same expert document, information and communications systems are more specifically defined as key assets within the overall realm of critical infrastructures. Therefore, among other things, it is recommended that the control systems be enhanced and prioritization plans be developed for ensuring cybersecurity.

2 INITIATIVES AND POLICY

It was officially acknowledged in Poland in 2000 that access to information has become increasingly significant for the economy and social life, and therefore the Polish government seeks to use means of communication to support the economy and to improve the public standard of living. These government activities were in response to the Polish parliament's resolution of 14 July 2000 on building the foundation of an Information Society in Poland, which underlines that modern technologies, services and applications of telecommunication, communication, and multimedia services may be a catalyst for economic growth, increase the competitiveness ...