The aim of the new legislation is to strengthen the overall resilience of critical infrastructure entities, based on the so-called CER Directive. The continued provision of certain key services, known as essential services, provided by critical infrastructure entities, is essential to maintain the essential functions of the state, economic activities, security, public health or the environment. These may be government bodies or their subordinates, multinational companies or smaller firms.
The critical infrastructure system is not new, it has been enshrined in Czech law since 2010, specifically in the Crisis Act. However, with the new legislation comes a certain change in the approach to the identification of critical infrastructure. Under the previous approach, the initial focus was on the elements of critical infrastructure, i.e. in particular objects, structures, facilities or networks that were designated by the responsible authorities. Under the new approach, the focus will be on the provision of the essential service by the operator concerned. Thus, it will no longer be "critical infrastructure elements" that will be identified from the national level, but "critical infrastructure entities", which will then identify their own critical infrastructure necessary for the provision of the essential service.
The new legislation also brings with it some new elements. Each sector and sub-sector will have a clearly identified competent authority, the so-called 'focal point', with whom critical infrastructure actors will primarily communicate. This communication, including, inter alia, the sharing of selected information, will be intensified. At the same time, the focal points will provide methodological assistance to the relevant critical infrastructure actors. The newly created Critical Infrastructure Portal will be the primary tool for this purpose.
In order to strengthen their resilience, critical infrastructure entities will develop a risk assessment and a subsequent resilience plan, designate a critical infrastructure manager, identify their critical infrastructure and critical suppliers, take measures to ensure resilience, report incidents, verify the reliability of selected groups of persons, participate in exercises or enable inspections by the competent authorities.
Sectors and sub-sectors, in which basic services will be provided
- Energy
- Electricity
- Distance heating and cooling
- Oil
- Gas
- Transport
- Aerospace transport
- Rail transport
- Water transport
- Road transport
- Public transport
- Banking
- Financial infrastructure markets
- Health
- Drinking water
- Wastewater
- Digital infrastructure
- Trust services and electronic identification
- Public communications networks and publicly available electronic communications services
- Other digital services and infrastructure
- Public administration
- Space
- Manufacturing, Food Processing and Distribution
- Food Production
- Food Storage and Distribution
- Security
- Fire and Public Protection
- Home Rule
- State Material Reserves
- Hydrometeorological Warning Service