Strong international engagement and expansion of the public-private partnerships are vital for the protection of critical infrastructure

Met dank overgenomen van Bulgaars voorzitterschap Europese Unie 1e helft 2018 (Bulgaars voorzitterschap) i, gepubliceerd op donderdag 12 april 2018.

Experts from the EU i, the US and Canada gathered in Sofia on 12 April 2018 to discuss the preparedness for an effective response to the current challenges in the complex area of the protection of critical infrastructure. Reducing vulnerabilities and increasing the resilience of critical infrastructure is one of the major objectives of the EU in recent years. However, this complex task requires combined efforts not only at European, but also at global level, delegates agreed, while reviewing current key issues and perspectives. The importance of direct operational support, sharing of information and best practices, expansion of the public-private and other strategic partnerships, as well as technology research and development were highlighted in this respect.

“We all agree that an adequate level of protection must be ensured and the detrimental effects of disruptions on society and citizens must be limited as much as possible. Today’s open exchange of experience and practices will bring an added value for all parties and will help to develop further the cooperation in this area and to find the most adequate responses to common challenges,”

said the Bulgarian Deputy Minister of Interior Milko Berner in his opening remarks. He pointed out that the dialogue in the framework of the regular EU-US-Canada expert meetings on critical infrastructure protection is of paramount importance for achieving the collective goals.

Representatives of the European Commission, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the Canadian Embassy to Bulgaria also emphasised the importance of preparedness, mutual learning, and sharing ideas and practices from a global perspective in securing critical infrastructures and developing and implementing common approaches in this field. Focusing their discussions on recent challenges, such as hybrid threats to critical infrastructure, comparison of cyber and physical threats, as well as legislation on critical infrastructure protection, the experts called for a strong international engagement for tangible results.

Background

The event was held on 11-12 April in Sofia, as part of the calendar of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU.