About the programme

Digital Europe supports the EU achieve a high common level of cybersecurity. With an increasing number of services available online, cybersecurity has become crucial to the digital world. Cybersecurity is also an economic opportunity: the global market for products and services grows by 15-20% annually.

Digital Europe supports building European cybersecurity infrastructures – the ‘cyber shield’  and promote the widespread deployment and take-up of state-of-the-art cybersecurity practices and equipment. The EU authorities aim at strengthening the EU’s digital sovereignty, which relies on the integrity and resilience of data infrastructure, networks and communications.

Most actions under Specific Objective 3 - Cybersecurity section fall under a specific work programme for cybersecurity  managed by the European Cybersecurity Industrial, Technology and Research Competence Centre in Bucharest. This Centre will work in collaboration with a Network of National Coordination Centres to coordinate cybersecurity investments by the EU, Member States and industry.

Operational objectives

The Regulation establishing Digital Europe seeks to support the following operational objectives:

• advanced cybersecurity equipment, tools and data infrastructures, together with Member States;
• knowledge, capacity and skills related to cybersecurity; best practices;
• wide deployment of effective state-of-the-art cybersecurity solutions, paying special attention to public authorities and SMEs;
• capabilities within Member States and the private sector in support of relevant legislation (e.g. the Directive on security of network and information systems (NIS Directive), or the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA);
• resilience, risk-awareness, at least basics levels of cybersecurity;
• enhancing synergies and coordination between the cybersecurity civilian and defence spheres, by facilitating the exchange of knowledge and best practices and more.