Strengthening cooperation with North Macedonia on cybersecurity and digital transformation
On 23 September 2026, Hannes Astok, Executive Director of eGA, met with Stefan Andonovski, Minister of Digital Transformation of North Macedonia, in Skopje to discuss continued cooperation on cybersecurity and opportunities to expand the partnership into broader areas of digital transformation.
The meeting took place ahead of the Cyber Balkans 2 kick-off conference in Skopje on 24 September and focused on continued cooperation under the EU-funded project, as well as North Macedonia’s broader digitalisation priorities.
“Digital transformation and cybersecurity must advance together if we want to build public services that are efficient, secure and trusted by citizens. Our cooperation with the eGA has already brought valuable expertise and practical experience to North Macedonia. Cyber Balkans II gives us an opportunity to build on this partnership, while also exploring how Estonia’s experience can support our broader digital transformation priorities,” said Stefan Andonovski, Minister of Digital Transformation of North Macedonia.
Building on cooperation through Cyber Balkans 2
North Macedonia is one of six beneficiaries of Cyber Balkans 2, alongside Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia. The project aims to strengthen cyber resilience, support closer alignment with EU cybersecurity standards and requirements, and deepen regional cooperation.
The new project builds on the cooperation established under the previous Cyber Balkans project and continues EU support for strengthening cybersecurity capacities across the Western Balkans.
“North Macedonia has been an important partner for eGA, particularly in strengthening cybersecurity capacity, and we see strong potential to take this cooperation further. Cybersecurity is an essential part of digital transformation, but eGA’s experience extends across the wider digital government ecosystem – from interoperability and digital identity to data governance and citizen-centred public services. We look forward to continuing our cooperation and identifying areas where eGA’s experience can support North Macedonia’s digital development,” said Hannes Astok, Executive Director of eGA.
Beyond cybersecurity, the meeting addressed North Macedonia’s wider digital transformation agenda and opportunities to expand cooperation.
eGA shared its experience supporting governments around the world in areas such as digital government development, interoperability, digital identity, data governance and secure and citizen-centred digital public services.
The meeting reaffirmed the existing cooperation between eGA and the Ministry of Digital Transformation and provided an opportunity to identify areas where the partnership could be further developed.
With support from the European Union, eGA has contributed to strengthening North Macedonia’s cybersecurity capabilities over the years. This cooperation has included the first Cyber Balkans project, which supported stronger cybersecurity governance, regional cooperation, incident preparedness and skills across the Western Balkans.
North Macedonia has also been a beneficiary of the EU-funded Cybersecurity Rapid Response for Albania, Montenegro and North Macedonia 1.0 and 2.0 projects, which have focused on strengthening cyber resilience, technical and operational capabilities for cyber crisis management, risk mitigation and incident response.
