French cyberdefence policy

Since 2008, France has initiated a proactive cyberdefence policy in order to remain one of the first nations in the cyber realm and to ensure its security. This policy testifies to the need for a global approach to cyber, which could be useful for countries trying to develop relevant frameworks and synergies to address the new challenges of cyberspace. This article aims to describe and analyse this French official policy. It is based on up-to-date documents, most of them only available in French, and some not even published yet. Every aspect of French cyber policy is taken into account, in particular the very specific mechanism to ensure the security of critical infrastructures. Indeed, France, which is an old centralised state, has built up a national cyberdefence authority which regulates not only the public sector, but also the private sector. Some other changes are also interesting to analyse: the ongoing process of transformation of the Ministry of Defence, and the complex links between public and private sectors. France also acts on the international stage, in particular within NATO and the EU, to build up multiple levels of cooperation between nations and to ensure a better regulation of cyberspace. In so doing, France has to reassess its traditional balance between national sovereignty and interdependence. As a result, like many countries, France has to develop new concepts in order to address the global cyberspace challenges ahead as far as forms of sovereignty, legal and ethic issues and military operations are concerned, potentially bringing new opportunities for international cooperation.