Tobias Liebetrau, PhD., is a post-doctoral researcher at the Centre de Recherches Internationales, Sciences Po, Paris and affiliated researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies. Tobias researches how cyber security is understood and practiced as political, strategic and economic phenomenon. His work on these topics has been published in journals such as European Journal of International Security, Contemporary Security Policy and Intelligence and National Security. Tobias is currently working on a book manuscript on EU cyber security governance to be published with Routledge in the New Security Studies series.

Twitter: @tobiasliebetrau

Staff profile: https://www.diis.dk/en/experts/tobias-liebetrau

This article provides a genealogy of EU cyber security to critically account for how digitization and the pervasiveness of information and communication technologies acquired the politically salient status of being an EU security issue. Tracing the development of EU cyber security policy over four decades, the article advances our understanding of the conditions of possibility for EU security politics in a digital age and questions its givenness. The analysis demonstrates how EU cyber security policy is inextricably linked expanding the Single Market and fostering a competitive security industry. Consequently, the article argues, we are witnessing a redefinition of the role of the Single Market. The establishment of a common European marked was a means to create peace. Today, cyber security is pursued through the Single Market. The market becomes a security practice writ large. When cyber security is pursued through the market, security becomes less about countering foreign threats and more about creating and delivering conditions for future economic thrive. This redefinition of the role of Single Market is likely to be subject to further expansion, as the linking of emerging digital technologies, digital sovereignty and security continue to expand.