On 17 January, the EU Informal Meetings of Cyber Ambassadors and Cyber Commanders took place at the Egmont Palace, Brussels, during the Belgian Presidency of the EU, co-organised with the European External Action Service.

The rapidly evolving cyber threat landscape and the fast pace of technological development call for enhanced civil-military coordination and cooperation.

As the first official EU meeting bringing together both diplomatic and military communities in the so-called “Egmont format”, the meeting aimed to take stock of current developments, anticipate the future and enhance cooperation and coordination between Cyber Commanders and Cyber Ambassadors.

The Belgian minister of Defence, Ludivine DEDONDER opened the event. All EU Member as well as officials from the EEAS, including the EU Military Staff, and the European Defence Agency participated in the meetings. Guest speakers from NATO, partners, academia and private sector enriched the meetings.

Background

Discussions were subject to “Chatham House” rules, and designed to encourage candid and open exchanges, raise challenging questions, offer concrete policy  examples from a range of countries, and share the latest analysis by both communities.

The meetings were conducted in-person gathering with a full day of activities, including joint and separate working sessions, interactive discussions with experts, exchanges, keynote speeches and bilaterals.  Besides a full day of relevant meeting within their respective communities, Cyber Commanders and Cyber Ambassadors had two joint meetings respectively on “Cyber Diplomacy and Cyber Defence. Taking stock. Anticipating the future” and on “The role of private sector in future conflict”.