BSDA brings together worldwide exhibitors, specialized visitors and official military delegations around the world.

BSDA offer to exhibitors, and also visitors, various services in order to help them to develop their commercial opportunities.

BSDA is not just an exhibition, but the best platform to showcase in life-size and live demos numerous equipment and systems, make presentations during our conferences and workshops.

BSDA 2024 Homeland Security, Safety & Protection Conference

• The BSDA 2024 Homeland Security, Safety & Protection Conference will take place in 2024 in the beautiful National Military Club, a Ministry of National Defense building which was built more than 100 years ago! Considered a historic and an architectural monument, the National Military Club represents the central cultural institution of the Romanian Armed Forces.
• The BSDA 2024 Homeland Security, Safety & Protection is organized together with the Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs and will bring together the industry and the governmental decision makers with competencies in this field.
• In the new geo-political and social realities, the Romanian Government is looking to upgrade and secure its citizens, critical infrastructure and borders. The main theme of the event is the Security & Safety Challenges in the Never Ending Environment Changes & Advancing Technologies.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs representatives and the other Romanian representatives of public institutions are eager to find out the new technologies and products available on the market presented by the attending companies.

The event’s agenda will feature the following topics:

• Public Order and Law Enforcement
• Cybersecurity
• Counterterrorism
• Emergency Management
• Fire Protection and Rescue
• Counterdrug
• Border Security
• Transnational Organized Crime

CCCR a participat, miercuri, la conferința „Idei care schimbă România”, eveniment organizat de Comisia pentru afaceri europene a Camerei Deputaților în parteneriat cu Ministerul Investițiilor și Proiectelor Europene, Ministerul Cercetării, Inovării și Digitalizării, Ministerul Economiei, Antreprenoriatului și Turismului, Consiliul Național al Întreprinderilor Private Mici și Mijlocii din România și Directoratul Național de Securitate Cibernetică.

În debutul lucrărilor, gazda evenimentului, preşedintele Comisiei pentru afaceri europene, deputatul Ştefan Muşoiu, a subliniat că “România aspiră să devină un lider regional în securitate cibernetică, demers pentru a cărui reuşită este crucial să fie întreprinse acţiunile practice prin care să se stabilească un cadru eficient de colaborare între stat, sectorul privat, societatea civilă şi instituţiile educaţionale”.

Printre subiectele discutate s-au numărat provocările legislative, educaţionale, de conştientizare şi cercetare, precum şi colaborarea între diferitele sectoare pentru identificarea direcţiilor de acţiune.

La eveniment au participat şi au susţinut intervenţii, din partea autorităţilor publice: domnul Andrei Alexandru, secretar de stat în Ministerul Cercetării, Inovării şi Digitalizării, domnul Gabriel Dinu, director adjunct în cadrul Directoratului Naţional de Securitate Cibernetică (DNSC) şi domnul Adrian Victor Vevera, director general al Institutului Naţional de Cercetare-Dezvoltare în Informatică – ICI Bucureşti.

Totodată, au vorbit despre modalităţi de consolidare a suveranităţii tehnologice şi perspectivele de investiţii în proiecte strategice de securitate cibernetică, reprezentanţi ai instituţiilor europene cu activitate în domeniu: domnul Luca Tagliaretti, directorul executiv al Centrului European de Competenţe în Materie de Securitate Cibernetică (ECCC) şi domnul Juhan Lepassaar, directorul executiv al Agenţiei Uniunii Europene pentru Securitate Cibernetică (ENISA).

Domnul Aviram Atzaba, directorul executiv al Diviziei de Cooperare şi Relaţii Externe a Directoratului Naţional pentru Securitate Cibernetică din Israel a împărtăşit participanţilor din experienţa şi activitatea Sistemului de Coordonare şi Integrare a Actorilor din Sfera Publică – Privată – Academică din Israel.

Au contribuit la discuţii cu perspectivele proprii din sectorul privat: domnul Mădălin Dumitru, CEO şi fondator al Cyber Smart Defence (Stefanini Group), doamna Irina Peptenaru, fondator şi CEO al Cyber Smart Academy, şi doamna Silvia Uscov, avocat şi lector la Cyber Smart Academy.

CCCR has joined today at Trellix Latest Ransomware Detection and Response Workshop organized with ProVision in Bucharest.

The main topics was:

• Know how prepared your organization is and map a plan with a personalized workbook
• Take part in a hands-on simulated ransomware tabletop exercise highlighting scenarios for different roles
• See the AI-powered Trellix XDR platform in action
• Product demos and use cases for Endpoint Security, Collaboration Security and Network Security
• Deep dive into a ransomware reference architecture
• Network, connect, and share best practices with your industry peers

Panels:

• Anatomy of a Ransomware Attack & Self Assessment – Threat Landscape
• Facilitated Discussion & Tabletop Exercise – highlighting scenarios for roles like CISO, security analyst
• Trellix platform to defeat Ransomware
• Product demos and use cases for Endpoint Security, Collaboration Security and Network Security
• Security Operations War Room

Speakers:

• Matteo Spiga – Solution Engineer
• Marco Kappert – Solutions Engineering Manager
• Arpad Toth – Enterprise Account Manager

– Tomorrow’s defence, by AI
– Unveiling the Future: AI in Cybersecurity
– Digital communications in the age of AI
– Mastering the AI: ethic and legal considerations
– AI as enabler and challenger of societal resilience
– AI-enhanced education
– Round-table: AI in money laundering and crypto

The aim of the Conference is to address the complex impact of AI on the resilience of our society as a whole and explore the dual role that it has, of facilitator and disruptor, in domains like defense, communications, education, societal resilience, ethics and cyber. Objectives: In this regard, the conference aims to:

– Facilitate awareness about current trends in this domain and the actors involved in the process
– Stimulate the exchange of information on AI in specific domains, covered by the panels of the conference
– Create a collaborative environment/format between experts, developers and decision-makers in the field
– Share best practices and discuss principles in the ethical and safe use of AI
– Strengthen trust and relationships between stakeholders
– Identify the major vulnerabilities and opportunities in the context of AI development and potential large-scale use towards building resilient institutions and societies

Distinguished guests and speakers list:

* Ovidiu RAEȚCHI – President, Euro-Atlantic Resilience Centre
* Amb. Ovidiu DRANGA – Euro-Atlantic Resilience Centre
* Luca TAGLIARETTI – Executive Director, European Cybersecurity Competence Center
* Sorin–Dan MOLDOVAN – Chairperson, Committee for Information technologies and communications, Chamber of Deputies
* Gabriela RAMOS – Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences of UNESCO (video)
* Cristian SFICHI – Regional Managing Director for Romania , Ukraine & Caucasus, THALES
* Luciana MOROGAN – AI expert at European Defence Fund, DG DEFIS, EU Commission
* Isidoros MONOGIOUDIS – Project officer, European Defence Agency
* Dongyoun CHO, Senior Researcher, United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR)
* Andrei MITRANA – Senior Cyber Security Manager, Human Capital at National Cyber Security Directorate
* Cătălina IOSUB – System engineer specialist, Palo Alto Networks
* Marianne LINDROTH – Project Manager, Aalto University
* Yugo NEUMORNI – President, CIO Council
* Nathalie VANDYSTADT, Policy Coordinator for relations and negotiations with the European Parliament and the Council of the EU, DG CONNECT, European Commission
* Seizo ONOE – Director, ITU Telecommunication Standardization Bureau
* Ioan DEMETER – Partner, Mware Solutions SA
* Major-General Mădălin MIHAI – Technical Deputy Director, Special Telecommunications Service
* Ciprian ZAMFIRESCU – Vodafone Romania
* Sabin DIMA – Founder & CEO, Humans.AI

• Besleaga Liviu – President RO-EU CCCR

Institutul Național de Cercetare-Dezvoltare în Informatică – ICI București a dat startul Digital Innovation Summit Bucharest (DISB), un eveniment de referință în domeniul inovației digitale, diplomației cibernetice și protecției infrastructurilor critice. Organizat sub Înaltul Patronaj al Președintelui Camerei Deputaților și al Premierului României, DISB 2024 aduce împreună lideri și experți din întreaga lume pentru a discuta și modela viitorul digital al societății.

Evenimentul a debutat cu o sesiune de discursuri susținute de domnul Nicolae Ionel Ciucă, Președintele Senatului României, domnul Mihai Alexandru Ghigiu, Șeful Cancelariei Prim-Ministrului României, domnul Bogdan-Marius Chiriţoiu, Președintele Consiliului Concurenței, domnul Ștefan Muşoiu, Președintele Comisiei pentru Afaceri Europene, doamna Aawatif Hayar, Ministrul Solidarității, Incluziunii Sociale și Familiei din Regatul Maroc, domnul Dragoş Cristian Vlad, Președintele Autorității pentru Digitalizarea României, doamna Ioana Roxana Melenciuc-Ioan, Președintele Institutului Național pentru Administrație, Excelența Sa Kathleen Ann Kavalec, Ambasadorul SUA în România, domnul Ilgar Ali Oghlu Musayev, Șeful Serviciului de Comunicații Speciale și Securitatea Informațiilor, Republica Azerbaidjan, a căror gazdă a fost domnul Adrian Victor Vevera, Directorul General al ICI București.

 In cadrul evenimentului a participat si dl Marian Florea, Presedintele Romanian City Managers Association care reprezinta peste 700 de UAT-uri la nivel national.

Discuțiile din prima zi au acoperit o gamă variată de subiecte pe tema diplomației cibernetice, de la politici digitale globale până la strategii de securitate cibernetică și impactul tehnologiei asupra relațiilor internaționale. Participanții au avut oportunitatea de a se familiariza cu cele mai recente tendințe din domeniul inovației digitale și de a stabili conexiuni valoroase în cadrul întâlnirilor B2B și a dialogurilor interministeriale internaționale.

DISB este o platformă globală de dialog și schimb de idei, cuprinzând două evenimente majore: Forumul de Protejare a Infrastructurii Critice (CIP Forum) și Conferința Internațională privind Diplomația Cibernetică (ICCD). CIP Forum se concentrează pe utilizarea blockchainului în combaterea amenințărilor cibernetice, inaugurând în același timp Muzeul NFT al ICI București și adresând teme importante precum implicarea femeilor în inovație și societate. Pe de altă parte, ICCD analizează intersecția dintre tehnologie și relațiile internaționale, cu un accent pe consensul global în politica digitală, consolidarea alianțelor regionale de securitate cibernetică și strategii proactive împotriva dezinformării.

Evenimentul beneficiază de sprijinul unor companii de renume precum Vodafone, MultiversX, Kontron Services, Danubius, ProVision, OPSWAT, Simavi, FIP Consulting, CISCO, Tema Energy, MediGo, Motorola Solution Romania, Claroty, MSAB, Raiffeisen, Stimpex, Domeniile Averesti, Konica Minolta, Automobile Bavaria Group, TAROM, Mobexpert și Aqua Carpatica.

International Mayors Summit (IMS), launched in 2016 in Ukraine as a knowledge exchange platform for local government leaders, became “more than a conference”, a place where projects and partnerships are born.

In navigating this challenging journey, Ukraine and Moldova have drawn closer to the European family they belong to, recognizing that local-level cooperation is integral to strengthening regional security and development efforts. Consequently, the 5th International Mayors Summit will take place in Moldova with the esteemed support of President Maia Sandu.

The annual Summit brings together prominent mayors from throughout the world, the business community, international organizations representatives and civil society to discuss solutions, innovations, best practices and cities’ success stories in various spheres. The Summit is organized by Western NIS Enterprise Fund. In Ukraine it was supported by the Prime Minister of Ukraine. Mayors and experts from the USA, Canada, the Netherlands, UK, UAE, Albania, Lithuania, Sweden, Poland, and Germany took part at the International Mayors Summit.

The Summit’s format allows participants to get knowledge and build a strong international network with prominent global leaders of urban transformation, join professional speed-networking sessions, test various solutions right on the spot, sign memorandums and launch special projects.

In this volatile world, influenced by pandemic, wars and global political and economic crises, mayors are at the frontline of urgent and necessary decisions, trying to coordinate with the central government, create partnerships with businesses, engage and convince the community.

Since February 24, 2022, Ukrainian city leaders have confronted a new and critical challenge in safeguarding their communities from the brutality of the Russian aggressor. Cities like Mariupol have been entirely devastated, while Kharkiv and Mykolaiv face incessant attacks, and Chernihiv, Irpin, and Bucha have endured devastating destruction. The enemy targets vital civilian infrastructure—hospitals, schools, kindergartens, roads, bridges, railway hubs, and stations. Security has emerged as a paramount challenge for Ukrainian cities nationwide. In the western regions, communities are diligently providing refuge for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and relocated businesses amid an uncertain period. Remarkably, international cooperation among communities has reached unprecedented levels, fostering unity around democratic, safe, and innovative development.

The overarching theme of the Summit is centered on the understanding that the reconstruction of cities is tantamount to the reconstruction of society. Accordingly, this Summit will focus on vital topics such as revitalizing cities, making them attractive to human capital, developing economic profiles, ensuring safety and growth, and introducing innovative solutions to fortify a human-centric approach to city development.

The current geopolitical implications for the region along with energy spikes and increasing food prices are driving the world to a multi-faceted crisis. Mankind is sailing through troubled and uncharted waters. Adding to the aforementioned challenges, there are also concerns on new refugee flows owing to the current conflicts and Europe’s security architecture.

Reinforcing Europe’s unity and solidarity in the midst of this turmoil is ongoing. Governments, institutions and civil society should cooperate more closely with key stakeholders in order to mitigate the current crisis, underpin social cohesion and achieve stability and recovery for Europe.

Against this setting, Romania has a strategic role to play as the country emerges as a key player for Europe’s collective security and NATO’s strategy with regards to Ukraine’s war with Russia. On the business front, Romania’s recent achievements in attracting strategic foreign investments and promoting innovation can serve as a role model and a positive narrative for other central and eastern European countries.

Discussion topics:

THE ECONOMIST’S FORECAST ON EUROPE’S GEOPOLITICAL LANDSCAPE AND EUROPE’S ECONOMIC LANDSCAPE

Joan Hoey, editorial director, The Democracy Index, Europe consultant, The Economist Group

ADDRESSING GLOBAL THREATS AT EUROPE’S FRONTLINE: THE SIGNIFICANCE OF MULTILATERAL CO-OPERATION

• A new era of power politics?
• What can we expect about the rules-based international order?
• Romania’s and Bulgaria’s accession to Schengen: next steps to be taken
• Strengthening cross-border cooperation and integration

– Guy Verhofstadt, MEP, former prime minister, Belgium
– Sergei Stanishev, MEP, vice-chair, Committee on Foreign Affairs, European Parliament, fmr prime minister of Bulgaria
– Traian Hristea, secretary of state for global affairs and diplomatic strategies, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Romania
– Kathleen Kavalec, US ambassador to Romania

EUROPE’S STRATEGY FOR UNITY, SOVEREIGNTY
AND COHESION: WHERE DOES ROMANIA STAND?

– Mihai Alexandru Ghigiu, head of the Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Romania
– Martin Schulz, former president, European Parliament, chair, Friedrich Ebert Foundation

FINANCIAL AND ECONOMIC PROSPECTS FOR EUROPE IN AN ENVIRONMENT OF HEIGHTENED UNCERTAINTY

• The financial outlook for SE Europe
• Necessary reforms for a more resilient growth model
• Unlocking potential in the new business landscape through restructuring

– Marcel-Ioan Boloș, minister of finance, Romania
– Mateusz Szczurek, lead economist for central and south-eastern EU countries, EBRD, former minister of finance, Poland
– Paul Dieter-Cîrlănaru, CEO, CITR

OPPORTUNITIES FOR INVESTMENT & GROWTH IN ROMANIA AND THE WIDER REGION

• Sharing insight with the international institutions
• Financing strategic sectors through private equity instruments
• The investor’s point of view

–  Johan Meyer, CEO, Franklin Templeton Romania
– Andrei Cionca, CEO and co-founder, Impetum Group
– Stefan Kraus, chief operating officer, member of the executive committee, Henley & Partners

RE-INDUSTRIALISING EUROPE: STRATEGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE GROWTH AMID GLOBAL TRADE UNCERTAINTIES

• Policy framework for industrial development
• Romania’s industrial sector: an evaluation

– Ștefan-Radu Oprea, minister of economy, Romania
– Alin Marius Andrieș, secretary of state, Ministry of Finance, Romania
– Nikos Papathanasiou, VP public policy & economic research, Philip Morris International

WHY EUROPE NEEDS INNOVATION TO STAY COMPETITIVE

• Where do Europe and especially SE Europe stand?
• Leveraging tech to close the productivity gap

– David Born, director, Roland Berger Institute

TECHNOLOGY: WITNESSING A GREAT TRANSITION

• How are AI, innovation and digitalisation altering the business landscape?
• How does digitalisation affect regional and social inequalities?
• Investing in technology: Romania as a case study
• Tech disruption and geopolitical divisions

– Marius Viorel Posa, secretary of state, Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitalization, Romania
– Achilleas Kanaris, CEO, Vodafone Romania
– Iwona Sikora, senior vice-president and general manager, EMEA, Iron Mountain
– Kostas Loukas, EMEA regional general manager, Government, Microsoft

HOW CAN ROMANIA’S INFRASTRUCTURE ACCELERATE GROWTH IN TIMES OF GROWING CONFLICT?

• Assessing the consequences of the war in Ukraine
• The significance of concession agreements and PPPs
• Europe’s comparative advantages in the context of global antagonisms
• EU’s eastern partners: How can the EU increase its presence in the region?

– Ionut Savoiu, state secretary of transport and infrastructure, Romania
– Nikolaos Tachiaos, deputy minister of infrastructure and transport, Greece (via connection)
– Vicky Loizou, secretary-general of private investments, Ministry of Development, Greece
– Alexandros Exarchou, chairman of the BoD & CEO, Aktor – Member of Intrakat Group

CAN ENERGY SECURITY AND AFFORDABILITY GO HAND IN HAND?

• Green transition: challenges and complications
• Romania’s contribution to Europe’s energy security
• The role of hydrocarbons
• Which energy infrastructure projects are critical for the region?

– Matthew Baldwin, deputy director-general, DG Energy, European Commission (via connection)
– Boyana Achovski, secretary-general, Gas Infrastructure Europe
– Alessio Menegazzo, CEO & country manager, PPC Romania
– Christina Verchere, CEO OMV Petrom
– Ștefan Popescu, director of regulations and public affairs – Romgaz Black Sea
– Angelos Syrigos, associate professor, International Law & Foreign Policy, Panteion University, MP, Hellenic Parliament

CLIMATE CHANGE: TIME FOR ACTION

– Sir David King, chair, Climate Crisis Advisory Group, UK, fmr permanent special representative for climate change

SECURING A CLEAN ENVIRONMENT FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS

• Environmental policy and regulation for the green economy and sustainable development
• ESG for business leadership

– Mircea Fechet, minister of environment, waters and forests, Romania
– Catalina Marga, chief financial officer, RetuRO
– Alice Nichita, corporate affairs & sustainability director, Coca-Cola HBC Romania

INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR SE EUROPE IN TIMES OF GEOPOLITICAL TURMOIL

• Finding the opportunities
• Strategy for business ventures
• Enhancing connectivity and logistics
• The Mare to Mare project and its regional impact

– Pilar Solano, head of department, lending operations in central and south eastern Europe, EIB
– Victoria Zinchuk, director for Romania, EBRD
– Ramona Jurubiță, vice-president, FIC Romania
– Natalia Bejan, general director, Invest Moldova Agency
– George Kremlis, chair, Espoo convention, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, ambassador, European Public Law Organization, Bulgaria

CCCR was pleased to participate today at ProVision presentation of Oxygen Forensics services in Romania.

The related topics was:

– Introduction and welcome to Oxygen Forensics Vendor Day.
– Introduction and talk about your experienced in field (Matt Finnegan)

– Key Updates to Detective in 2023.

1. Roadmap for 2024 & Beyond.
2. Oxygen Forensics Vision & Strategic Approac

– Oxygen Forensic® Detective:

1. Demystifying Unisoc & Mediatek extraction methods with Oxygen Forensic® Detective
2. KeyScout & KeyDiver – Introductions

– OAC & ORE – New Product Overview basic to see the Oxygen catalog

Held every 12 to 18 months by the Council of Europe, the Octopus Conference constitutes one of the biggest and finest platforms of exchange in cybercrime gathering experts from more than 100 countries, international organisations, private sector and academia.

The focus for the 2023 edition will be two-fold:

– Securing and sharing electronic evidence: the tools are here – let’s use them!
– Capacity building on cybercrime and electronic evidence: 10 years of Cybercrime Programme Office (C-PROC) – What impact so far; what’s next?

Besleaga Liviu, President of the RO-EU CCCR was present at the following workshops and projects:

Workshops

Workshop 1: Global state of cybercrime legislation. Legislation is the basis for criminal justice action on cybercrime and electronic evidence. Many governments around the world have undertaken legal reforms, often using the Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention) as a guideline. However, cybercrime legislation also needs to meet human rights and rule of law requirements to prevent misuse. The aim of this workshop is to review progress made worldwide in terms of cybercrime legislation and to identify possible risks and challenges.
Workshop 2: Spontaneous information sharing. Criminal justice authorities often possess valuable information that it believes may assist the authorities of another country in a criminal investigation but of which these other authorities are not aware of. Parties to the Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention) may share this type of information through Article 26 on “spontaneous information”: “A Party may, within the limits of its domestic law and without prior request, forward to another Party information obtained within the framework of its own investigations when it considers that the disclosure of such information might assist the receiving Party in initiating or carrying out investigations or proceedings concerning criminal offences established in accordance with this Convention or might lead to a request for co-operation by that Party under this chapter….” The relevance of Article 26 has been increasing over time, including within the context of cases related to the dark web or to the sharing of data retrieved from encrypted communications. The aim of the workshop is to identify current practices of using Article 26 of the Convention on Cybercrime.
Workshop 3: Online child sexual exploitation and abuse. Over the past decade multi-national service providers deployed technology for the automated detection of child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) that was uploaded or disseminated via their services. Tens of millions of CSAM have been identified and reported in this way, and in many cases have helped rescue victims and identify and prosecute offenders worldwide. At the same time, the use of such techniques have raised rule of law and human rights concerns, for example, that they interfere with the privacy of communications or involve the transborder transfer of personal data or violate due process requirements. The aim of the workshop is to continue the search for solutions that permit governments to meet their positive obligation to protect children against online sexual violence and enable service providers to use automated technologies to identify and report CSAM with the necessary privacy, data protection and rule of law safeguards.
Workshop 4: Synergies between Conventions for a safer cyberspace. The standards of the Conventions maintained by the Council of Europe in the areas of cybercrime, protection of children against sexual abuse, trafficking in human beings and violence against women are not simply complementary, but meant to encourage work between criminal justice authorities, protection officers and policy makers to ensure better criminal justice and related action in these areas. Substantive law offences, use of procedural tools for investigation and preventive/protective work with victims and witnesses are just examples where harmonisation would be key, while concepts such as action on cyberviolence could serve to indicate where and how such synergies should work. The aim of this workshop is to further enhance synergies between four different – but interconnected – Conventions:
– Convention on Cybercrime (ETS No. 185)
– Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (CETS No. 201)
– Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (CETS No. 210)
– Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (CETS No. 197)
Workshop 5: The interplay of cybercrime and financial investigations. Establishing efficient collaboration between criminal justice authorities investigating cybercrime and institutions responsible for financial investigations is vital to safeguard societies from criminal activities. Both financial investigations and actions against cybercrime play a pivotal role in achieving this goal. The workshop will focus on identifying areas of collaboration, fostering domestic and international cooperation, disseminating effective models for interagency teamwork and highlighting the principles governing the exchange of information and evidence among financial and cybercrime experts.
Workshop 6: Cybercrime and AI. Artificial Intelligence in the criminal justice sector can both represent a serious threat or enhance the fight against cybercrime. Generative AI may provide effective ways to detect crime or provide investigative assistance by analysing vast amount of data but may also be misused for criminal purposes. Falsified data (such as deep fakes) can even be presented as evidence in court. The aim of this workshop is to examine (a) the criminal threats that generative AI may pose for the criminal justice sector, (b) its role in countering cybercrime, and (c) the key issues that need to be taken into account in assessing electronic evidence generated by AI.
Workshop 7: Regional workshop for Asia. With the growing reliance on information-driven technology and the exponential growth in the amount of data created and exchanged every day by users and organizations, the right to the protection of personal data faces major challenges. This is also true for criminal justice authorities who need to reconcile effective measures to obtain, process and share personal data that are needed in criminal investigations and proceedings with data protection requirements. Where these requirements are met, they facilitate the sharing of personal data also across borders and with service providers and other private sector entities. This is why Article 14 on the protection of personal data was included in the Second Protocol to the Budapest Convention. The aim of this workshop is share experience – and discuss challenges – for countries of Asia on the setting up of data protection frameworks in order to permit a more effective criminal justice response to cybercrime.
Workshop 8: Regional workshop for Pacific. Robust legal frameworks on cybercrime and electronic evidence are the cornerstone for successful investigations and criminal proceedings. International standards, such as the Budapest Convention, provide a framework for consistent definitions, standardised procedural powers and international cooperation mechanisms. But the absence of transposing such measures into national laws undermines a country’s ability to investigate, prosecute and adjudicate cases involving electronic evidence and to engage in the global efforts to effectively respond to the emerging challenges presented by cybercrime. Small jurisdictions, such as the Pacific Island States, may encounter even bigger struggles in adopting and adapting appropriate laws, considering their specific legal, administrative, and technical contexts. The workshop is aimed at mapping specific challenges and possible solutions based on successful practices in the region.
Workshop 9: Regional workshop for Africa. While electronic evidence is of increasing significance to criminal investigations and proceedings also in Africa, procedures to obtain such evidence from other jurisdictions are often lengthy and not effective. The Second Protocol to the Budapest Convention (opened for signature in 2022) provides tools for enhanced co-operation and disclosure of electronic evidence – such as direct cooperation with service providers and registrars, effective means to obtain subscriber information and traffic data, immediate co-operation in emergencies or joint investigations, whilst ensuring a strong system of human rights and rule of law safeguards, especially when it comes to protecting personal data. Almost a quarter of African countries are either Parties or have been invited to accede to the Budapest Convention. Making use of the tools of the Second Protocol is thus an option for Africa. Cabo Verde, Ghana, Mauritius and Morocco are among the signatories so far. The workshop is aimed at showcasing the relevance and expediency of the tools for cooperation provided for in the Protocol, as well as at discussing possible challenges to their implementation in the African region.
Workshop 10: Regional workshop for Latin America and the Caribbean. Many countries in LAC have undertaken efforts in recent years to establish specialized cybercrime units at the level of police and prosecutorial services, as well as units responsible for digital forensics. However, the organizational setup and functions of such units keep evolving and are not always based on international good practices. Further, interagency cooperation between specialized cybercrime units and other services, to ensure that electronic evidence is admissible in courts, remain a challenge. The workshop aims at identifying good practices of setting up forensic units in police/prosecutors’ office and how to ensure the inter-agency co-operation and to avoid overlapping of competencies in the area of digital forensics.
Workshop 11: Capacity building as a game changer – what makes a difference? The aim of the workshop is to identify examples of capacity building efforts that have made a real difference in terms of enabling sustainable changes in criminal justice systems and of increased effectiveness of tools against cybercrime. Over the past decade, governments, international organizations, private sector as well as civil society organizations have been implementing numerous projects to address cybercrime at national, regional and international level. Some actions were more successful than others. It is important to capitalize on those experiences that had an impact and helped criminal justice authorities and societies to address cybercrime more effectively.
Workshop 12: Online xenophobia and racism v. freedom of expression. With online hate speech – including racism and xenophobia – on the rise, societies are struggling with an effective response that also respects the fundamental right of the freedom of expression. A broad range of measures may be taken to address hate speech online (see the Council of Europe Recommendation on Hate Speech adopted in 2022). In this spectrum of measures, criminal law is an important last resort. In 2003, the first Protocol to the Convention on Cybercrime was opened for signature, addressing the “criminalisation of acts of a racist and xenophobic nature committed through computer systems” (ETS No. 189). In connection with the twentieth anniversary of this Protocol, a good practice study was undertaken on the experience of this treaty. The workshop aims to present findings of this study, to provide further guidance and to discuss challenges in addressing xenophobia and racism committed online while respecting the right to freedom of expression.
Workshop 13: Strengthening 24/7 points of contact. The workshop is to further explore modalities for reinforcing the functioning of 24/7 Network of contact points under the Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention): sharing good practices for the efficient processing of requests received; identifying additional ways to increase the operability of the Network; understanding the roles and responsibilities of the Network with regard to the new tools of the Second Additional Protocol to the Budapest Convention.
Workshop 14: Interplay between cybersecurity and cybercrime. This workshop explores the links between cybersecurity and the prevention and control of cybercrime. It will consider in particular the cooperation between criminal justice authorities and Computer Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRTs). The purpose of this session is to identify ways in which cooperation between criminal justice authorities and cybersecurity actors could improve, including through joint action against common threats, protection of critical infrastructure, and capacity building.

Projects

Project event: CyberEast to CyberEast+. This event serves as the closing conference of the CyberEast project and pave the way to the follow up project CyberEast+. It will follow the project themes of legislation and policies, capacity building, and co-operation; it will tell the CyberEast story from the perspectives of the national partners demonstrating the impact and relevance of the project to improve their capacities regarding cybercrime and electronic evidence. The European Commission and the Council of Europe will formally assess and complete the project and launch a new regional action on cybercrime and electronic evidence in the region through the new CyberEast+ project. The workshop will also discuss in view of adoption a new Declaration on Strategic Priorities for the Eastern Partnership region with key project partners, serving as inspiration for policies and capacity building in the region’s countries.
Project event: iPROCEEDS-2 to CyberSEE. This closing conference of the iPROCEEDS-2 project will assess the project’s main objectives, including legislation and strategic approaches, mechanisms for reporting, capacity enhancement in cybercrime, training for the judiciary and fostering collaboration between public and private sectors, as well as international co-operation. The focus will be on national partners presenting what difference the project has made to improve their agencies’ competence in handling cybercrime and electronic evidence. The event will mark the formal evaluation and closing of the project. It will also prepare the ground for new regional action targeting cybercrime and electronic evidence in South-east Europe and Turkey: the new initiative “CyberSEE” will be jointly undertaken by the European Commission and the Council of Europe from 2024 to 2027.
Project event: GLACY+ to GLACY-e. This session serves as the closing event of the GLACY+ project. It will provide an opportunity to review the impact of the GLACY+ project, and to share lessons learned. Building on the positive results of GLACY+, a continuation, consolidation and expansion is now commencing with the “Global Action on Cybercrime Enhanced” (GLACY-e), a new EU-CoE joint project. GLACY-e will extend the experience of the GLACY+ project by supporting new selected countries in Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America. It will reinforce the leading role of the 8 hub countries in the capacity building agenda in their respective regions.
Project event: CyberSouth to CyberSouth+. The objective of the final conference is to jointly review and validate the progresses in the fight against cybercrime in the MENA region during the period 2018 – 2023; assess the impact of the CyberSouth project in five main areas related to the project’s results (legislation, work of police, work of judiciary, international co-operation, national strategies) and evaluate together what worked well (best practices) and what can be improved in the next phase.