EU4Digital: Improving Cyber-Resilience in EAP Countries
On behalf of the EU, the four-year Cybersecurity East Project supporting cyber governance in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine was successfully concluded in late 2023 despite multiple challenges.
Information security is paramount to the protection of fundamental rights of citizens as enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (EU) as well as to the fight against cybercrime and the protection of democracy and the rule of law. The project was part of the overarching EU4Digital program by means of which the EU supports the harmonization of digital markets in Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries. The related process took the different levels of advancement among EaP countries into account.
The GFA-led project team and its partners were up against severe challenges. Covid-19 hit right at the start, Armenia and Azerbaijan engaged in an armed conflict, and above all, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine fundamentally changed the context in which the project had to operate. Yet, the project kept delivering. It has assisted governments in their efforts to align legal and policy frameworks with international standards such as the EU Network and Information Security Directive, and to improve specific operational capabilities regarding swift responses to cyber-attacks. To this end, the GFA team has used direct consultancy, trainings and certified on-site/online courses to support specialized staff from governmental Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs), Computer Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRT), and critical services and infrastructure providers. Related personnel learned and contributed to their organizations’ cyber resilience. In addition, the GFA team has conducted cyber awareness and cyber hygiene activities, i.e. security-oriented thinking and behavior that private individuals and employees in organizations should internalize in order to contain potential threats from the Internet and prevent exposure to cyber-attacks before they unleash havoc.
PROJECT IS PART OF
