In brief
European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier said that refrigeration cyberattacks on Monday in Ireland, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Sweden, Estonia and Finland were part of a broader trend and not isolated incidents. National investigations continue, and attribution remains unclear. The Commission has convened meetings with EU agencies and affected member states to coordinate responses.
European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier said on Tuesday that refrigeratorcyberattacks that crippled supermarket cool‑systems on Monday in several EU countries were not isolated incidents and that investigations are still underway.
Regnier told a press briefing that the Commission is in direct contact with member states and relevant national authorities, and that two coordination meetings were convened on Tuesday. The first meeting brought together an EU inter‑institutional task force, Europol and relevant Commission departments to share information about what happened and determine how best to respond collectively.
In the second meeting, national authorities from affected countries—including Ireland, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Sweden, Estonia and Finland—took part via the European Cyber Crisis Liaison Organisation Network.
I would be extremely careful when it comes to attributions. It’s not for us to do for now,
Regnier said the incidents underscored the need for collective resilience and preparedness, highlighting how cyberattacks can disrupt essential services and affect citizens’ daily lives.
Retailers in the affected countries were forced to discard food products stored in the compromised refrigerators, a measure taken to avoid spoilage and food‑borne risk.
While the Commission has confirmed the scope and scale of the attacks, it has made clear that it is too early to attribute responsibility or identify who carried out the attacks.
