European Union contributes to modernising Moldova’s Cyber Defence with New Equipment
In July, the European Union (EU) delivered the first tranche of cybersecurity equipment for the Armed Forces of the Republic of Moldova under the European Peace Facility (EPF) to modernise Moldova’s Cyber Defence. The e-Governance Academy, acting as the implementing actor, conducts the procurement and delivery of the equipment during this and the next year.
“The EU-funded cybersecurity equipment improves Moldova’s network infrastructure and enhances Moldova’s national security, stability, and resilience in the defence sphere. This is critical to keep Moldovan cyberspace secure and the Government functional,” said Hannes Astok, Executive Director of eGA.
The cybersecurity equipment delivery is part of the European Peace Facility (EPF) assistance measure to strengthen the cybersecurity capabilities and resilience of the Ministry of Defence and Moldovan Armed Forces. The total budget of the measure is EUR 4 million and it lasts from December 2022 to September 2025.
Through two EPF cyber defence projects, the e-Governance Academy (eGA) implements the strengthening of Moldova’s cyber defence capabilities. The cybersecurity support aims to increase the ability of the Moldovan Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defence to detect intrusions into the information systems and to counter cyber-attacks.
The EU’s support consists of cybersecurity equipment and practical exercises benefitting the Armed Forces of Moldova personnel. In November last year, e-Governance Academy (eGA) and Cybexer Technologies carried out threat hunting and compromise detection training as well as technical cyber defence exercises.
Background information
The e-Governance Academy (eGA) has been collaborating with the Government of Moldova for almost 20 years to support its digital development. The implementation of support to the Moldovan Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defence under the EPF has added an important layer to this cooperation.
Currently, eGA implements three EU cyber assistance projects, with a total amount of EUR 6.7 million. Two of these projects are funded under the EPF and aim to enhance the cyber defence capacity of the Moldovan Armed Forces.
The third project is the EU support project “Moldova Cybersecurity Rapid Assistance 2.0”, which aims to increase the cyber resilience of public sector organisations and critical infrastructure providers. The total cost of this measure is EUR 2.7 million, and it will run from May 2024 to November 2025.