site.btaInternational Conference Discusses Cyber Security and Defence

Sofia, June 13 (BTA) - Deputy Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov on Wednesday opened an international research conference on the questions of cyber security and cyber defence.

The conference is part of the calendar of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union and is extremely important as cyber security tops the agenda of the EU and NATO which allows the two organizations to cooperate in the field of cyber defence, said Zapryanov. The two-day forum is organized by the Prof. Tsvetan Lazarov Defence Institute in partnership with the European Defence Agency.

Zapryanov said that a proactive policy and proactive measures are required with regard to cyber security which will allow the armed forces to build cyber defence capabilities.

The Bulgarian government has tabled a bill on cyber defence which is expected to be adopted soon by Parliament.

Zapryanov said that the bill sets out functional responsibilities for the various ministers, defence minister and the defence chief. They are for the establishment of a policy on cyber security with the Defence Ministry and the structuring of cyber defence capabilities and the necessary resources.

The conference will discuss possibilities for fast response in countering cyber attacks and the related challenges through decisions in the field of research and technologies, education and training at a EU level.