Endorsement of the New York Joint Statement on Undersea Cables

Germany supports the New York Joint Statement on the Security and Resilience of Undersea Cables in a Globally Digitalized World. This declaration was presented by the United States at the UN General Assembly on September 25, 2024 and is supported by the EU alongside the other G7 member states.

The Joint Statement identifies nine principles about submarine cable infrastructure that are intended to improve the safety, reliability, interoperability, sustainability and resilience of the development, repair and maintenance of these cables.

These goals should be achieved in particular through the following measures:

• Design, build and maintain cables with safety considerations and cybersecurity best practices in mind,
• Improved cooperation to promote the selection of lower risk operators in new development projects, protect submarine cables and predict risks,
• Improved cooperation between government and industry,
• Improving coordination in spatial and route planning,
• Exchange of best practices on approval and regulatory requirements,
• Encouraging operators to have transparent corporate and group structures,
• Regular risk assessments taking into account technical and non-technical factors, such as undue influence from third countries on suppliers and service providers,
• data protection measures,
• Compliance with applicable national and international legal requirements and best practices, particularly regarding risk assessment and risk management.

All G7 countries have therefore confirmed that they support this declaration.