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PM Ciuca: Hosting the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre in Bucharest is a national success.
Hosting the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre (ECCC) in Bucharest is a national success while also reconfirming -- 16 years after joining the European Union -- the maturity of Romania as a member state, as well as the direct and relevant contribution it brings to the consolidation of the European design, Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca told a ceremony on Tuesday for the opening in Romania of the ECCC, told Agerpres.
He added that the opening of the ECCC in Bucharest is a clear signal that the European Union is institutionally present in Romania.
"Its opening in Bucharest is a clear signal that the European Union is institutionally present in Romania, reconfirming, 16 years after accession, the maturity of Romania as a member state, as well as the direct and relevant contribution that Romania brings to the achievement, to the consolidation of the European design. In addition, the presence of the competence centre in Bucharest is a clear message that the European Union is coming to its citizens, regardless of how close to or far from Brussels the member state is, from a geographical perspective," said Ciuca.
He said that the added value of the European Union's policies is best felt through the direct exposure of citizens to the activity of its institutions and bodies.
At the same time, he highlighted the fact that the centre's activity also occurs against the background of the multiplication of attacks of a hybrid nature, of cyber-security challenges in Europe that have progressively accelerated, increasing significantly from the end of 2021 and in 2022 not only in terms of number, but also in terms of complexity and level of training.
"Let's not forget, in the context, Russia's unjustified and unprovoked war in Ukraine, which defined a new stage in terms of major risks, role and impact of cyber-warfare in crises. That is precisely why the presence in this part of Europe of an essential component for strengthening the cyber-resilience of the Union reconfirms the attention given to our common efforts to protect the economy, citizens and public institutions."
Ciuca went on to say that the decision to select Bucharest as the host city for the competence centre also took into account the very attractive ecosystem existing here in terms of Romanian cyber-security knowledge, skills, innovation and talent.
Also attending the event were Minister of Research Sebastian Burduja, Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu, rector of the Bucharest Polytechnic University Mihnea Costoiu, as well as European officials, including the General Director of the European Commission's DG Connect Roberto Viola.
