The European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), today inaugurated its new premises with representatives from the cyber agencies of all EU Member States, immediately making use of the new facilities to launch a strategic discussion around the Agency’s current work in its Management Board.
Minister of Digital Governance of the Hellenic Republic, Kyriakos Pierrakakis stated: “I am delighted to attend the inauguration ceremony of ENISA today at the new premises, welcoming from our end its significant work in our country.
Nowadays, the role of ENISA becomes even more pertinent during the current environment. Facing unprecedented crises in several aspects, we encounter a wake-up call, urging the EU to reinforce quickly the level of cybersecurity within our Member States and to step up efforts in order to create a European Cyber Shield. We need to protect our digital world and technologies the same way we need to protect our physical world.
“Therefore it’s highly important to convey messages for reinforcing our cybersecurity cooperation, mutual assistance and solidarity at the EU level. I am convinced that the contribution of ENISA in this direction will be key.”
European Commission Vice-President for Promoting our European Way of Life, Margaritis Schinas said: “Today’s inauguration of the new ENISA headquarters is a strong symbol in the dark times we are living through.
“The war at our doorstep is not only raging in the streets of Kiev or in Mariupol. It adds to the growing number of threats that have been relentlessly targeting the EU and its neighbours in the past weeks and months. To these threats and to their perpetrators, that only seek to divide us, we must respond firmly, with solidarity, with unity and with coordination. Speak and act with one voice. One European voice.
“ENISA is a cornerstone of this joint effort. ENISA was born out of the wish to make our European societies and citizens cyber safe. It is the whole European way of life that ENISA is called upon to protect.
“I warmly welcome the opening of the new offices of ENISA here in Athens. This is a new step for the Agency. And one more sign of its utmost relevance for the security of the whole EU in todays’ world.”
The EU Agency for Cybersecurity Executive Director, Juhan Lepassaar noted: “The new Headquarters provides ENISA with a firm basis to implement its mandate of achieving a common high level of cybersecurity in Europe with a ‘’new home’’ for staff and our collaborators within the cybersecurity community. I thank the Hellenic Authorities for their continuous and generous support and cooperation.”
The ENISA Management Board Members exchanged views on the direction the Agency should follow in some key areas of its work, guided also by the resolve of EU Heads of State and Ministers to strengthen Europe’s security and cybersecurity in the wake of the aggressionagainst Ukraine. The sessions specifically focused on the following three main topics:
The- first topic was on how to enhance the Union’s cybersecurity situational awareness in the area of operational cooperation among EU Member States, a discussion that was kicked-off by the European Commission’s Vice-President, Margaritis Schinas.
The second one focused on assessing how to better measure the implementation of cybersecurity policies in EU Member States while the third session was how to better guide ENISA on leveraging its future capacity-building activities in the areas of cyber exercises and training programmes.
The inauguration ceremony was also attended by EU Member States’ embassies to Greece and by EU institutional representatives. Representatives from other EU agencies located in Athens, the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (EUROPOL), the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX) and the European Union Agency for Asylum (EASO) attended also the event. ENISA greatly welcomed their presence, as a further sign that Europe resides also a in Athens and in Greece.
