Pan-European Cyber Resilience: Challenges & Opportunities
On 12 June 2025, GLOBSEC hosted a roundtable discussion titled ‘Pan-European Cyber Resilience: Challenges & Opportunities’ during the annual GLOBSEC Forum in Prague. The closed-door session, organised in cooperation with the National Cyber and Information Security Agency (NUKIB), brought together stakeholders from government, international organisations, academia, and industry to initiate a high-level dialogue on how the EU can: • Effectively embed cybersecurity into its digital agenda and strategic autonomy ambitions • Enhance its ability to address emerging cybersecurity threats with increasing geopolitical tensions.
This roundtable marked the launch of the Pan-European Chapter of the GLOBSEC Initiative on the Future of Cyberspace Cooperation and had renowned experts including Michael Chertoff (Co-Founder & Executive Chairman, The Chertoff Group), Tomáš Minárik (Deputy Director, International Cooperation and the EU, NUKIB), Arnaud David (Director, Public Policy EMEA, Digital and AI, Amazon Web Services), and Dr Matthias Sachs (Cybersecurity Policy Lead Europe, Google) as speakers. The session was moderated by Anushka Kaushik, Senior Research Fellow & Cyber Lead at GLOBSEC.
The discussion focused on how the EU can more effectively bolster its cyber resilience amid rising geopolitical tensions and increasingly sophisticated digital threats. With cyber operations increasingly becoming a central aspect of modern conflict – including but not limited to attacks on critical infrastructure, data breaches, disinformation campaigns - these challenges are no longer theoretical.
The conversation emphasised the need for closer collaboration among allies, better harmonisation and the importance of moving beyond ad hoc cooperation, as well as the need for mechanisms that reduce fragmentation, streamline coordination, and enhance collective response. Speakers also noted that collaboration with the private sector has proven particularly effective as companies have played a critical part in Ukraine’s cyber resilience. However, their integration in European cyber strategy remains insufficiently defined. Clearer governance frameworks, shared accountability, and enforceable reporting obligations were cited as essential to protecting civilians and infrastructure.
A recurring concern was Europe's strategic dependence on non-EU technology and cloud providers. Participants identified this reliance as posing systemic risks to sovereignty, data integrity, and the Union’s ability to act independently in times of crisis. Strengthening local cybersecurity ecosystems and investing in homegrown digital infrastructure were considered essential steps to support Europe’s long-term autonomy.
The roundtable concluded with broad agreement that sovereignty in cyberspace should not translate into isolation. Instead, Europe must lead by fostering trusted partnerships, promoting shared standards, and ensuring it has the capabilities to respond decisively to digital threats — domestically and across borders.