“Challenges of European Cybersecurity”

The European Security and Defence College (ESDC) had the honour of co-organising, together with the French Institute for Higher National Defence Studies (IHEDN) and the Portuguese National Defence Institute (IDN), the European Cybersecurity Challenges course. The course was successfully held virtually between 03 to 05 of November 2020 with active participation and excellent outcomes. The abovementioned co-organising and reputed institutes are members of ESDC’s extensive network.

The course gave an insight of the strategic and security environment in Europe, which has deeply changed these last years.

Furthermore, the 48 participants became acquainted with diplomatic, institutional, legal and operational issues related to the mainstreaming of cybersecurity at EU level. In the course curriculum, all cybersecurity dimensions were addressed, while concrete examples   from current events were presented aiming to:

• understand the notions and concepts related to cybersecurity;
• present the actors dealing with cybersecurity issues at the European level (European institutions and agencies, Member States) and their respective roles;
• identify the challenges of cybersecurity at the European level and the way ahead in this field.

At this point, we would like to thank all our keynote speakers for their excellent contribution and their high quality speeches and lectures they provided. It is encouraging, that although in a virtual format, the content of the presentations and the hot topics on current cybersecurity challenges, that were addressed, provoked fruitful discussions between participants and the experts.

Participants’ feedback was more than welcome and promising. For instance, Ms Vasiliki Plessia, who participated in the Course, as the European Security and Defence College intern highlights;

“Participating in the “Challenges of European Cybersecurity Course” was a unique opportunity for me. Following the e-learning modules, prior to the course, I was given the chance to learn about essential issues on cybersecurity in a ludic and interactive way, while I had the chance to follow concrete documentation on the topic.

During the course, I appreciated the equal distribution of speeches from academia, national and international experts and the interaction between the participants. Finally, I was excited hearing about Cybersecurity legal framework on cyber operations and personal pathways and experiences in cybercrime management. I would definitely recommend the course to colleagues, no matter if they have civilian or military background or previous expertise in cyber issues.”

We would like to thank all 48 participants for their trust in the ESDC and promise to continue providing trainings to the highest standards.