ANIS: Ukraine needs immediate support in terms of cyber security

Ahead of the special European Council meeting held on 24 February, DIGITALEUROPE and eleven TIC associations in Central and Eastern Europe, of which ANIS is a member, issued the following statement:

“Representing 36,000 digital companies in Europe, from green technology to cybersecurity service providers, express our full solidarity with the people of Ukraine in the face of the current Russian aggression. We fully support the steps the EU and its allies are taking to prevent further bloodshed. But sanctions are not enough. Technology plays a key role in modern security policy. For years, Ukraine has been subject to cyber warfare, weakening its critical infrastructure and the functioning of its society, and sowing confusion through misinformation. We must be together now and build the common resistance of European society. Ukraine has been a booming center for information and communication technologies for the past two decades, but no country can respond to this type of aggression alone.

Together with NATO, EU leaders can support Ukraine by providing immediate support for cyber security. The EU must also see these days as a wake-up call to strengthen our digital shield: to train more cybersecurity specialists and to invest heavily in our cyber defense. No more excuses – everyone on deck is needed. Europe has a gap of 200,000 cybersecurity specialists. We need to accelerate the development of the Center of Competence in the field of cyber security in Bucharest, Romania, to offer it many more resources and to make it a real hub of the national cyber security agencies.

Political leaders should also consider speeding up the resolution of all visa applications for those who decide to leave Ukraine – they all deserve our support. The conflict also shows once again the importance of the transatlantic partnership. The EU-US Trade and Technology Council is a unique opportunity to discuss short- and long-term measures to ensure the digital security of our societies and to guard against future online and offline aggression. “

The document had been signed by: DigitalEurope, ANIS-Romania, ATIC-Moldova, INFOBALT-Lithuania, ITAS-Slovakia, ITL-Estonia, IVSZ-Hungary, LIKTA-Latonia, KIGEIT-Polonia, PIIT-Poland, TIF-Finland, ZIPSEE-Poland.

*Photo source: Reuters