On 7 August 2026, the General Secretariat of the Council issued an information note announcing the approval of the German cryptographic product SINA L3 Box E, version 3.10.x, for protecting EU classified information up to and including CONFIDENTIEL UE/EU CONFIDENTIAL. The approval, granted by the Secretary-General of the Council on 6 August 2026, is based on Article 10(6) of the Council Security Rules (Council Decision 2013/488/EU of 23 September 2013). The product may now be used by EU institutions for classified data, provided that the evaluator’s recommendations for product use are incorporated into the corresponding Security Operating Procedures. This decision affects EU institutions and bodies that handle classified information, as well as the German manufacturer of the product, which gains a formal endorsement for use across the EU's security framework.
The approval follows the procedures established under the Council Security Rules, which set out the framework for the protection of EU classified information. The decision is a routine but necessary step in the lifecycle of cryptographic products used within EU institutions, ensuring that only evaluated and approved products are deployed for sensitive communications. The condition attached to the approval—that the evaluator’s recommendations be integrated into Security Operating Procedures—underscores the importance of operational compliance in maintaining security standards. This requirement means that EU institutions must update their internal procedures to align with the product's usage guidelines, a process that may involve administrative effort but is essential for maintaining the integrity of classified information.
The approval is expected to have a moderate impact on stakeholders. EU institutions and bodies that handle classified information will benefit from having a new, approved product available for their use, potentially improving interoperability and security. The German manufacturer, secunet Security Networks AG, gains a competitive advantage as its product is now formally endorsed for EU-wide use. However, the condition requiring the integration of evaluator recommendations may impose additional administrative burden on institutions, as they must update their Security Operating Procedures accordingly. No exclusions are stated in the document, meaning the product can be used across all EU classified information up to the CONFIDENTIEL level, subject to the procedural condition. The next step will be for EU institutions to implement the necessary procedural updates, with no further institutional action required at the Council level. This approval is part of the ongoing effort to maintain a robust security framework for EU classified information, and it is likely that similar approvals for other products will follow as part of routine security maintenance.