(also CIKR)
The assets that a nation requires to properly function, including the services needed to process, procure, and protect them. These assets include IT, transportation, energy, communications, food, and water, among others.
1998: President Bill Clinton launched the national Critical Infrastructure Protection program in the US through presidential directive PDD-63.
2006: The European Commission published directive EU COM(2006) 786, designating critical infrastructure areas that affected multiple member states simultaneously.