The Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community and the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) are co-hosting the European Cybersecurity Conference today. More than 400 representatives of the authorities responsible for cybersecurity in Germany and the other European Union member states and of the relevant EU institutions, including the European Parliament, the European Commission and the European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA), are taking part. The conference is being held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr Markus Richter, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Federal Government Commissioner for Information Technology, said, "Cyber threats do not stop at national borders. That is why going it alone does not help. We will overcome the challenges of the future only by working closely with all our our EU partners, and that is what we are doing with everything in our power."

Comprising three forums and two interviews, the high-level conference focuses on the EU’s strategic orientation, the European Commission’s current initiatives, and operational cooperation among the EU member states. The European Cybersecurity Conference represents the culmination of the Federal Ministry’s activities in this field during the German Council Presidency.

At the conference, State Secretary Richter referred to the ongoing negotiations between the Council and the European Parliament on the proposed regulation to establish a European cybersecurity competence centre: "With the European cybersecurity competence centre, our goal is to inspire innovation and establish Europe as a leader in cutting-edge cybersecurity technology."

Speaking about Germany’s initiative to formulate Council conclusions on improving the security of devices connected to the internet, State Secretary Richter said, "We want to lay the groundwork for practical and effective security measures in the Internet of Things." The European framework for cybersecurity certification can help with this effort, he added. The goal is to adopt the Council conclusions by the end of this year.