CER-directive

Chapter II – National frameworks on the resilience of critical entities (Art. 4-11)

  • Art. 4 CER – Strategy on the resilience of critical entities

    1. Following a consultation that is, to the extent practically possible, open to relevant stakeholders, each Member State shall adopt by 17 January 2026 a strategy for enhancing the resilience of critical entities (the ‘strategy’). The strategy shall set out strategic objectives and policy measures, building upon relevant existing national and sectoral strategies, plans or similar documents, with a view to achieving and maintaining a high level of resilience on the part of critical entities and covering at least the sectors set out in the Annex.

    2. Each strategy shall contain at least the following elements:

    (a) strategic objectives and priorities for the purposes of enhancing the overall resilience of critical entities, taking into account cross-border and cross-sectoral dependencies and interdependencies;

    (b) a governance framework to achieve the strategic objectives and priorities, including a description of the roles and responsibilities of the different authorities, critical entities and other parties involved in the implementation of the strategy;

    (c) a description of measures necessary to enhance the overall resilience of critical entities, including a description of the risk assessment referred to in Article 5;

    (d) a description of the process by which critical entities are identified;

    (e) a description of the process supporting critical entities in accordance with this Chapter, including measures to enhance cooperation between the public sector, on the one hand, and the private sector and public and private entities, on the other hand;

    (f) a list of the main authorities and relevant stakeholders, other than critical entities, involved in the implementation of the strategy;

    (g) a policy framework for coordination between the competent authorities under this Directive (‘competent authorities’) and the competent authorities under Directive (EU) 2022/2555 for the purposes of information sharing on cybersecurity risks, cyber threats and cyber incidents and non-cyber risks, threats and incidents and the exercise of supervisory tasks;

    (h) a description of measures already in place which aim to facilitate the implementation of obligations under Chapter III of this Directive by small and medium-sized enterprises within the meaning of the Annex to Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC(31) that the Member State in question has identified as critical entities.

    Following a consultation that is, to the extent practically possible, open to relevant stakeholders, Member States shall update their strategies at least every four years.

    3. Member States shall communicate their strategies, and substantial updates thereto, to the Commission within three months of their adoption.


    (31) Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC of 6 May 2003 concerning the definition of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (OJ L 124, 20.5.2003, p. 36).

  • Art. 5 CER – Risk assessment by Member States

    1. The Commission is empowered to adopt a delegated act, in accordance with Article 23, by 17 November 2023 to supplement this Directive by establishing a non-exhaustive list of essential services in the sectors and subsectors set out in the Annex. The competent authorities shall use that list of essential services for the purpose of carrying out a risk assessment (‘Member State risk assessment’) by 17 January 2026, whenever necessary subsequently, and at least every four years. The competent authorities shall use Member State risk assessments for the purpose of identifying critical entities in accordance with Article 6 and assisting those critical entities to take measures pursuant to Article 13.

    Member State risk assessments shall account for the relevant natural and man-made risks, including those of a cross-sectoral or cross-border nature, accidents, natural disasters, public health emergencies and hybrid threats or other antagonistic threats, including terrorist offences as provided for in Directive (EU) 2017/541 of the European Parliament and of the Council(32).

    2. In carrying out Member State risk assessments, Member States shall take into account at least the following:

    (a) the general risk assessment carried out pursuant to Article 6(1) of Decision No 1313/2013/EU;

    (b) other relevant risk assessments, carried out in accordance with the requirements of the relevant sector-specific Union legal acts, including Regulations (EU) 2017/1938(33) and (EU) 2019/941(34) of the European Parliament and of the Council and Directives 2007/60/EC(35) and 2012/18/EU(36) of the European Parliament and of the Council;

    (c) the relevant risks arising from the extent to which the sectors set out in the Annex depend on one another, including from the extent to which they depend on entities located within other Member States and third countries, and the impact that a significant disruption in one sector may have on other sectors, including any significant risks to citizens and the internal market;

    (d) any information on incidents notified in accordance with Article 15.

    For the purposes of the first subparagraph, point (c), Member States shall cooperate with the competent authorities of other Member States and the competent authorities of third countries, as appropriate.

    3. Member States shall make the relevant elements of Member State risk assessments available, where relevant through their single points of contact, to the critical entities that they have identified in accordance with Article 6. Member States shall ensure that the information provided to critical entities assists them in carrying out their risk assessments pursuant to Article 12 and in taking measures to ensure their resilience pursuant to Article 13.

    4. Within three months of carrying out a Member State risk assessment, a Member State shall provide the Commission with relevant information on the types of risks identified following, and the outcomes of, that Member State risk assessment, per sector and subsector set out in the Annex.

    5. The Commission shall, in cooperation with the Member States, develop a voluntary common reporting template for the purpose of complying with paragraph 4.


    (32) Directive (EU) 2017/541 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2017 on combating terrorism and replacing Council Framework Decision 2002/475/JHA and amending Council Decision 2005/671/JHA (OJ L 88, 31.3.2017, p. 6).
    (33) Regulation (EU) 2017/1938 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2017 concerning measures to safeguard the security of gas supply and repealing Regulation (EU) No 994/2010 (OJ L 280, 28.10.2017, p. 1).
    (34) Regulation (EU) 2019/941 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 June 2019 on risk-preparedness in the electricity sector and repealing Directive 2005/89/EC (OJ L 158, 14.6.2019, p. 1).
    (35) Directive 2007/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2007 on the assessment and management of flood risks (OJ L 288, 6.11.2007, p. 27).
    (36) Directive 2012/18/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 July 2012 on the control of major-accident hazards involving dangerous substances, amending and subsequently repealing Council Directive 96/82/EC (OJ L 197, 24.7.2012, p. 1).

  • Art. 6 CER – Identification of critical entities

    1. By 17 July 2026, each Member State shall identify the critical entities for the sectors and subsectors set out in the Annex.

    2. When a Member State identifies critical entities pursuant to paragraph 1, it shall take into account the outcomes of its Member State risk assessment and its strategy and shall apply all of the following criteria:

    (a) the entity provides one or more essential services;

    (b) the entity operates, and its critical infrastructure is located, on the territory of that Member State; and

    (c) an incident would have significant disruptive effects, as determined in accordance with Article 7(1), on the provision by the entity of one or more essential services or on the provision of other essential services in the sectors set out in the Annex that depend on that or those essential services.

    3. Each Member State shall establish a list of the critical entities identified pursuant to paragraph 2 and ensure that those critical entities are notified that they have been identified as critical entities within one month of that identification. Member States shall inform those critical entities of their obligations under Chapters III and IV and the date from which those obligations apply to them, without prejudice to Article 8. Member States shall inform critical entities in the sectors set out in points 3, 4 and 8 of the table in the Annex that they have no obligations under Chapters III and IV, unless national measures provide otherwise.

    For the critical entities concerned, Chapter III shall apply from 10 months after the date of the notification referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph.

    4. Member States shall ensure that their competent authorities under this Directive notify the competent authorities under Directive (EU) 2022/2555 of the identity of the critical entities that they have identified under this Article within one month of that identification. That notification shall specify, where applicable, that the critical entities concerned are entities in the sectors set out in points 3, 4 and 8 of the table in the Annex to this Directive and have no obligations under Chapters III and IV thereof.

    5. Member States shall, where necessary and in any event at least every four years, review and, where appropriate, update the list of identified critical entities referred to in paragraph 3. Where those updates lead to the identification of additional critical entities, paragraphs 3 and 4 shall apply to those additional critical entities. In addition, Member States shall ensure that entities that are no longer identified as critical entities following any such update are notified in due time of that fact and the fact that they are no longer subject to the obligations under Chapter III from the date of receipt of that notification.

    6. The Commission shall, in cooperation with the Member States, develop recommendations and non-binding guidelines to support Member States in identifying critical entities.

  • Art. 7 CER – Significant disruptive effect

    1. When determining the significance of a disruptive effect as referred to in Article 6(2), point (c), Member States shall take into account the following criteria:

    (a) the number of users relying on the essential service provided by the entity concerned;

    (b) the extent to which other sectors and subsectors as set out in the Annex depend on the essential service in question;

    (c) the impact that incidents could have, in terms of degree and duration, on economic and societal activities, the environment, public safety and security, or the health of the population;

    (d) the entity’s market share in the market for the essential service or essential services concerned;

    (e) the geographic area that could be affected by an incident, including any cross-border impact, taking into account the vulnerability associated with the degree of isolation of certain types of geographic areas, such as insular regions, remote regions or mountainous areas;

    (f) the importance of the entity in maintaining a sufficient level of the essential service, taking into account the availability of alternative means for the provision of that essential service.

    2. After the identification of the critical entities under Article 6(1), each Member State shall submit the following information to the Commission without undue delay:

    (a) a list of essential services in that Member State where there are any additional essential services as compared to the list of essential services referred to in Article 5(1);

    (b) the number of critical entities identified for each sector and subsector set out in the Annex and for each essential service;

    (c) any thresholds applied to specify one or more of the criteria in paragraph 1.

    Thresholds as referred to in the first subparagraph, point (c), may be presented as such or in aggregated form.

    Member States shall subsequently submit information referred to in the first subparagraph whenever necessary and at least every four years.

    3. The Commission shall, after consulting the Critical Entities Resilience Group referred to in Article 19, adopt non-binding guidelines to facilitate the application of the criteria referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article, taking into account the information referred to in paragraph 2 of this Article.

  • Art. 8 CER – Critical entities in the banking, financial market infrastructure and digital infrastructure sectors

    Member States shall ensure that Article 11 and Chapters III, IV and VI do not apply to critical entities that they have identified in the sectors set out in points 3, 4 and 8 of the table in the Annex. Member States may adopt or maintain provisions of national law to achieve a higher level of resilience for those critical entities, provided that those provisions are consistent with applicable Union law.

  • Art. 9 CER – Competent authorities and single point of contact

    1. Each Member State shall designate or establish one or more competent authorities responsible for the correct application and, where necessary, enforcement of the rules set out in this Directive at national level.

    As regards the critical entities in the sectors set out in points 3 and 4 of the table in the Annex to this Directive, the competent authorities shall, in principle, be the competent authorities referred to in Article 46 of Regulation (EU) 2022/2554. As regards the critical entities in the sector set out in point 8 of the table in the Annex to this Directive, the competent authorities shall, in principle, be the competent authorities under Directive (EU) 2022/2555. Member States may designate a different competent authority for the sectors set out in points 3, 4 and 8 of the table in the Annex to this Directive in accordance with existing national frameworks.

    Where Member States designate or establish more than one competent authority, they shall clearly set out the tasks of each of the authorities concerned and ensure that they cooperate effectively to fulfil their tasks under this Directive, including with regard to the designation and activities of the single point of contact referred to in paragraph 2.

    2. Each Member State shall designate or establish one single point of contact to exercise a liaison function for the purpose of ensuring cross-border cooperation with the single points of contact of other Member States and the Critical Entities Resilience Group referred to in Article 19 (‘single point of contact’). Where relevant, a Member State shall designate its single point of contact within a competent authority. Where relevant, a Member State may provide that its single point of contact also exercise a liaison function with the Commission and ensure cooperation with third countries.

    3. By 17 July 2028, and every two years thereafter, the single points of contact shall submit a summary report to the Commission and to the Critical Entities Resilience Group referred to in Article 19 on the notifications they have received, including the number of notifications, the nature of notified incidents and the actions taken in accordance with Article 15(3).

    The Commission shall, in cooperation with the Critical Entities Resilience Group, develop a common reporting template. The competent authorities may use, on a voluntary basis, that common reporting template for the purpose of submitting summary reports as referred to in the first subparagraph.

    4. Each Member State shall ensure that its competent authority and single point of contact have the powers and the adequate financial, human and technical resources to carry out, in an effective and efficient manner, the tasks assigned to them.

    5. Each Member State shall ensure that its competent authority, whenever appropriate, and in accordance with Union and national law, consults and cooperates with other relevant national authorities, including those in charge of civil protection, law enforcement and the protection of personal data, and with critical entities and relevant interested parties.

    6. Each Member State shall ensure that its competent authority under this Directive cooperates and exchanges information with competent authorities under Directive (EU) 2022/2555 on cybersecurity risks, cyber threats and cyber incidents and non-cyber risks, threats and incidents affecting critical entities, including with regard to relevant measures its competent authority and competent authorities under Directive (EU) 2022/2555 have taken.

    7. Within three months of the designation or establishment of the competent authority and the single point of contact, each Member State shall notify the Commission of their identity and their tasks and responsibilities under this Directive, their contact details and any subsequent change thereto. Member States shall inform the Commission where they decide to designate an authority other than the competent authorities referred to in paragraph 1, second subparagraph, as the competent authorities in respect of the critical entities in the sectors set out in points 3, 4 and 8 of the table in the Annex. Each Member State shall make public the identity of its competent authority and single point of contact.

    8. The Commission shall make a list of the single points of contact publicly available.

  • Art. 10 CER – Member States’ support to critical entities

    1. Member States shall support critical entities in enhancing their resilience. That support may include developing guidance materials and methodologies, supporting the organisation of exercises to test their resilience and providing advice and training to the personnel of critical entities. Without prejudice to applicable rules on State aid, Member States may provide financial resources to critical entities, where necessary and justified by public interest objectives.

    2. Each Member State shall ensure that its competent authority cooperates and exchanges information and good practices with critical entities of the sectors set out in the Annex.

    3. Member States shall facilitate voluntary information sharing between critical entities in relation to matters covered by this Directive, in accordance with Union and national law on, in particular, classified and sensitive information, competition and protection of personal data.

  • Art. 11 CER – Cooperation between Member States

    1. Whenever appropriate, Member States shall consult one another regarding critical entities for the purpose of ensuring that this Directive is applied in a consistent manner. Such consultations shall take place, in particular, regarding critical entities that:

    (a) use critical infrastructure which is physically connected between two or more Member States;

    (b) are part of corporate structures that are connected with, or linked to, critical entities in other Member States;

    (c) have been identified as critical entities in one Member State and provide essential services to or in other Member States.

    2. The consultations referred to in paragraph 1 shall aim at enhancing the resilience of critical entities and, where possible, reducing the administrative burden on them.