On 12 March, EU Cyber Direct – EU Cyber Diplomacy Initiative and the European Union Institute for Security Studies co-organised a workshop in Brussels on “Europe Connected and Secure: Leveraging cyber and digital capacities in enlargement countries.”
The workshop brought together experts and official representatives from enlargement countries, EU institutions, Member States and European stakeholders to discuss how cyber and digital capacities can be strengthened across the EU’s wider neighbourhood as part of the enlargement process.
As cyber threats increasingly target government services, critical infrastructure, democratic processes and supply chains, cyber resilience is becoming a key dimension of European security. Participants explored how the EU can leverage existing instruments and initiatives to support cyber capacity-building and foster closer cooperation with enlargement partners ahead of accession.
The discussion focused on how existing cyber and digital capabilities in enlargement countries can be better recognised and integrated into EU frameworks, how accession processes may enable or constrain cyber innovation and institutional reform, and what gradual cyber integration could look like in practice.
