BRUSSELS — The European Commission will assess how well supermarkets are prepared to handle cyberattacks after refrigerators in dozens of stores across at least six EU countries were taken offline. EU Agriculture and Food Commissioner Christophe Hansen told POLITICO that the attacks would be discussed at the next meeting of its Security College to assess retailers’ contingency plans and their ability to respond to incidents. Incidents were reported in at least six EU countries — Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Ireland, the Netherlands and Estonia — with some retailers reporting that refrigerator temperatures had suddenly surged to as high as 50 degrees Celsius.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen set up the Commission’s Security College in March 2025 to discuss strategic developments and threats to the EU's internal and external security. The Security College format lets commissioners examine attacks beyond their immediate impact on retailers. It also places the disruptions in the broader context of Europe's vulnerability to hybrid warfare, where attacks on essential supply chains can be used to undermine public confidence.
The Security College meets periodically, separately from the Commission's regular weekly meetings. On Friday, the Security College discussed the timing of its next meeting, but no date has been set, although heads of cabinet attending the planning meeting agreed it should take place soon, according to an EU official granted anonymity to discuss the behind-closed-door gathering. The Security College is chaired by von der Leyen and attended by all her commissioners.
The latest disruptions follow a series of cyberattacks in France in October, when hackers appeared to remotely manipulate refrigeration systems by activating their defrosting mechanisms, causing temperatures to rise sharply and food to spoil. In October, Commission agriculture officials met retailers affected by cyberattacks to take stock of the situation as part of the EU's food security contingency and preparedness efforts. The commissioner stressed that Europe's food security is not at risk, but warned that these incidents exposed vulnerabilities in the food supply chain, with consequences for businesses, food waste and consumer confidence.
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