The European Cybersecurity Competence Center in Bucharest

Romania will be hosting the headquarters of a major EU agency – the European Cybersecurity Competence Center

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Corina Cristea, 09.05.2023, 13:50

In December 2020, at the end of a tight race also attended by Belgium, Germany, Spain, Luxemburg, Poland and Lithuania, Romania was designated by the EU representatives to host a major EU agency namely the European Cybersecurity Competence Center. The institution has been designed to protect the economy and the population to support research in this field and help the European institutions to develop their cybersecurity capabilities. But why Bucharest?

Because Romania brands itself as an IT-savvy country scoring high on rankings of digital skills and training. Bucharest is also ranking high in broadband internet speed rankings. Another reason was that by that time the country had been unsuccessful in its bids to host EU organizations.

May 9, a major EU landmark, has been chosen as the date of inaugurating this agency, and the ceremony has been attended by the countrys Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca and several European officials, including the Director-General of the European Commissions Department for Communications Networks, Roberto Viola.

“The Centre is responsible for managing EU cybersecurity funds for the current long-term EU budget (2021-2027), notably adopting cybersecurity work programmes and for managing cyber projects under the Digital Europe Programme and Horizon Europe. Furthermore, it will manage projects on Security Operations Centers as part of the Commissions proposal to establish a European Cyber Shield and it will collaborate with a network of National coordination centres aiming to build an ecosystem for cybersecurity innovation and competitiveness across the EU.

According to Thierry Breton, Commissioner for the Internal Market, “Cybersecurity is a critical priority and safeguarding our digital sovereignty requires joint efforts.”

He recalls that “the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre brings together top-tier experts and resources from across the EU to develop innovative solutions to cyber threats and enhance our resilience against attacks. By working together, we can build a safer and more secure digital world for all Europeans.”

In the following 7 years, the European Cybersecurity Competence Center is expected to run 4.5 billion Euros in cybersecurity projects. Out of the total sum, two billion are European money while the rest comes from the EU member states.

(bill)