Abstract

The problematic aspects of critical infrastructure in an integrated frame in Slovakia are recently not codified in any legal norms. The law does not stipulate competences or responsibilities towards any state administration institution, nor the advisory governmental body within the Slovak Republic. Self-governing regions, cities, municipalities and legal persons do not have established their share for the fulfillment of tasks in the respective area, either. The topicality of the need to legislatively adjust competences and responsibilities of public administration bodies and also the private sphere (juristic and natural persons) grows. Within the context of critical infrastructure and its interconnection into the European space in the first few years of the new millennium, the international cooperation started to be developed and intensified not only in the standard areas of defense and protection of critical infrastructure in political and military sphere, but also in the area of science and research, critical infrastructure personnel education, as well as in particular specific areas. We can mention the European Program for Critical Infrastructure Protection (EPCIP) as an example of recent significant eventuation of these processes of the cooperation. Mission of the aforementioned program is to assist the existence of standard and uniform level of defense and critical infrastructure protection within the entire European Union, in order to create an equal level of defense and protection for all levels of critical infrastructure, and the minimal number of real, as well as potential points of failure and fast correction measures to exist and to be prepared and tested. Attention began to be paid also to questions of sensitivity and resistance of critical infrastructure sectors. These requirements started to have exact contours in the fundamental demarcation for the expert community, where they are understoo as following: Resistance of critical infrastructure is the ability to face random, as well as intentionally undesired – generally negative action upon its individual parts in substantial, even marginal intensity. Sensitivity of critical infrastructure is the feature, that expresses the capability of the system to register negative activity, or processes, directed at the core of the given system itself and activate the adequate defense and protective mechanisms for the preservation of its stability and functionality. The EU requirement to identify subjects of European critical infrastructure, subjects of national and local critical infrastructure on the territory of each member country stems from the premise that the level of protection should not be the same for all critical infrastructures, but it should be derived from the impact. Presented approaches generalized the fact that a terrorist attack or military action is, in a significant scope, focused on those parts of society, that if destroyed or damaged, lower the defense capacity of the state or coalition. Aims of antagonist‘s aggression are generally the elements of the critical infrastructure of the state and region. Critical infrastructure is composed of facilities, services and information systems, that are vital for the population and for the management of the state, and destruction or dysfunction of which may endanger the security interests of the state. Especially these present the objects of significant importance, other important objects, selected information and communication instruments as well as facilities for the production and supply of water, electricity, petroleum and natural gas and other parts of economy and society designated by the government or other competent institution of state administration, that are inevitable for handling critical situations, protection of population and property, for ensuring the minimal course of economy and state management, as well as its external and internal security, being therefore needed to be specifically defended and protected.