A single European company can be subject to GDPR, the NIS Directive and a handful of sector-specific rules all at once – and getting the interaction between them wrong is what turns a manageable compliance gap into a regulatory investigation. Cybersecurity legislation in Europe isn't one law; it's a layered system that keeps evolving as new risks and technologies appear.

This course by the Arab British Fellowship Training Academy is built to make that system usable. It walks participants through the main EU cybersecurity laws and how they interact in practice, from GDPR obligations and NIS Directive requirements to sector rules for critical infrastructure and healthcare, so organisations can turn legal text into working compliance strategies rather than reactive fixes.

Who Should Attend?

• Information security officers and IT professionals across public and private EU organisations.
• Compliance officers and legal consultants handling cybersecurity and data privacy matters.
• Government employees and regulators shaping or enforcing cybersecurity policy.
• Academics and students specialising in cybersecurity legislation.

Course Objectives:

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Map the key EU cybersecurity laws – GDPR, the NIS Directive and related sector rules – and how they apply together.
• Translate legal requirements into working compliance strategies for public and private organisations.
• Manage cybersecurity incidents and meet EU reporting obligations when they occur.
• Monitor and update compliance programmes as regulations and technology evolve.

• Module 1: Reading the EU Rulebook: GDPR, NIS Directive and the Policy Landscape
  • How EU cybersecurity legislation is built, and the European Union's role in shaping and enforcing it.
  • The NIS Directive: its objectives for securing networks and information systems, and the challenges of applying it across sectors.
  • GDPR's core principles, individual rights, and organisations' responsibilities for compliance.
• Module 2: Turning Law into Practice: Public and Private Sector Obligations
  • Applying GDPR requirements inside private sector organisations, including obligations toward customer and user data.
  • Public institutions' responsibilities under EU cybersecurity law, and coordination between public and private sectors.
  • Building compliance strategies that embed cybersecurity regulation into everyday corporate governance.
• Module 3: From Risk to Response: Threats, Controls and Incident Reporting
  • Types of cybersecurity threats facing European organisations, and how breaches affect compliance and operations.
  • Security controls required by EU regulations, including encryption and firewalls.
  • Managing cybersecurity incidents and meeting EU reporting requirements when a breach occurs.
• Module 4: Cross-Border Data Flows and Critical Sectors
  • Rules on cross-border data protection within the EU, and the added complexity of transfers outside it.
  • Cybersecurity regulations for critical infrastructure such as energy, transport and healthcare, and how the NIS Directive applies to them.
  • Specific legal requirements for protecting healthcare data and networks.
• Module 5: Keeping Compliance Alive: Monitoring, Tools and Reviews
  • Mechanisms and tools for continuously monitoring cybersecurity compliance within an organisation.
  • The role of digital tools and automation in tracking and reporting on data protection measures.
  • Reviewing and updating internal policies as legislation evolves.
• Module 6: New Pressures on the Rulebook
  • How emerging technologies like AI and IoT are reshaping cybersecurity legislation.
  • How the shift to remote and hybrid work has pushed regulators to strengthen cybersecurity requirements.
• Module 7: Where European Cybersecurity Policy Is Headed
  • Key trends and innovations shaping the next generation of EU cybersecurity law.
  • How European institutions are preparing for evolving cyber threats.