Cyber Capacity Building Task Force

In June 2017, the EUISS established a partnership with the European Commission (Directorate General for International Cooperation and Development) aimed at promoting a strategic approach and understanding of cyber capacity building among EU stakeholders. The main objective of this one-year-project is to take stock of the EU’s current approaches to cyber policy and its related dimensions and translate this into operational guidance for any EU external cyber capacity building action. To support the implementation of this project, the EUISS has established the Cyber Capacity Building Task Force composed of five experts in the field of cybersecurity, human rights, intelligence, internet governance, cybercrime, resilience and development.

About Cyber Capacity Building:

In broad terms, capacity building in the cyber domain is aimed at building functioning and accountable institutions in order to respond effectively to cybercrime and to enhance countries’ cyber resilience. This is an integral component of international cooperation and as such can foster international solidarity with a common vision and purpose: to secure a free, open, secure, interoperable cyberspace for everyone while ensuring compliance with human rights and the rule of law. The question about how to structure capacity building efforts, what methods to use and how to measure their efficiency is a central in this process.

Priorities of the Task Force:

• To address the existing gaps in the EU’s analytical and methodological work in the area of cyber capacity building in a coherent and holistic manner;
• To consolidate cyber policy and its related dimensions and translate this into operational guidance for any EU external cyber capacity building action.

Outcome of the project:

The main outcome of the project will be Operational Guidelines on Cyber Capacity Building which aims at providing concrete guidance for any EU external cyber capacity building action and to ensure a minimum level of cybersecurity across the globe.

Activities:

Throughout the year, the Task Force will organise several stakeholder consultations which bring together a mix of policy actors who work in the fields of cyber policy and cyber diplomacy, practitioners involved in the definition and implementation of cyber capacity building actions, and experts in evaluating capacity development results.

Task force members:

• Andrea Calderaro – Director, Centre for Internet and Global Politics, Cardiff University
• Patryk Pawlak – Brussels Executive Officer, EUISS
• Alejandro Pinto – Senior Unit Manager, Digital Transformation, Ministry of Interior, Spain
• Maria Grazia Porcedda – Research Fellow, University of Leeds
• Thorsten Wetzling – Head of Privacy Project, Stiftung Neue Verantwortung
• Cristina Schulman – Vice-Chair of the Cybercrime Convention Committee (T-CY), Council of Europe