Romania will host, in Bucharest, the European Cybersecurity Industrial, Technology and Research Competence Centre - Cyber Centre, being the first EU structure to be based in our country, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) announced on Thursday.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomes with great satisfaction the decision taken by the EU member states to locate in Bucharest the headquarters of the future European Cybersecurity Industrial, Technology and Research Competence Centre (EU's Cyber Centre), following the voting procedure held on December 9 in Brussels and completed this morning. For Romania, the decision has historical value, given that the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre is the first structure of the EU that our country hosts as a member state," reads the MAE press release sent to AGERPRES.
According to the ministry, Romania's success is "even more relevant" in the context of "strong" competition between several member states.
"The decision to place the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre in Bucharest recognizes Romania's firm commitment to consolidating the European project and the special expertise that our country has in the field of digital and cybersecurity," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
The result obtained by Romania was possible following "intense" diplomatic efforts in the last period, both in Bucharest and Brussels, and in the capitals of the member states, the quoted source explained.
"Romania brings a certain added value to the development of cybersecurity in Europe and internationally, and the trust given today by the member states reconfirms this contribution. I am convinced that the decision to establish the Cyber Centre in Bucharest, the first EU structure in Romania, it will contribute to the promotion of a comprehensive and inclusive approach within the Union in this field, to the strengthening of the security of the Digital Single Market and to the fulfillment of the EU objectives in the digital age," Minister of Foreign Affairs Bogdan Aurescu said.
The proposal for a regulation establishing the EU Cyber Centre was launched by the European Commission in 2018, being discussed even during the Romanian Presidency of the EU Council.
The member states decided to initiate an open competition to establish the headquarters of this center, and interested countries have submitted applications by November 6. Belgium (Brussels), Germany (Munich), Lithuania (Vilnius), Luxembourg (Luxembourg), Poland (Warsaw), Spain (Leon) and Romania (Bucharest) entered the competition. The European Commission published its evaluation of the applications submitted on December 2.
The selection procedure for establishing the headquarters of the future Cyber Centre was held in Brussels on Wednesday and completed this morning. Following the vote of the member states, it was decided that the headquarters of the centre would be located in Bucharest.
According to the MAE, the Cyber Centre will be "a key structure" in the context of EU-wide efforts to shape a European cybersecurity ecosystem. The centre will play an important role in supporting the creation of links between public and private actors in the field, academia and the EU industry, while also ensuring coordination between the national cybersecurity centres in the member states.
The centre will also act to stimulate research and technological innovation in order to strengthen cybersecurity within the European Union, being the main body for managing European funds available through the two programs relevant to the sector - Digital Europe and Horizon Europe.