Warsaw, 5 March 2025
On Wednesday, 5 March 2025, the Museum of the Polish Army in Warsaw hosted a meeting of EU ministers responsible for cybersecurity in the TTE Council format – the first ever entirely dedicated to the European Union’s cybersecurity. The meeting culminated in the unanimous adoption of the Warsaw Call, addressing key cybersecurity challenges.
The key topics discussed by European ministers included cybersecurity as a foundation of EU stability, enhancing civil-military cooperation in response to emerging challenges, and investing in greater resilience to large-scale threats.
The European Commission was represented by Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Technological Sovereignty, Security, and Democracy, who emphasised that implementing the commitments outlined in the Warsaw Call will be crucial for the EU’s future digital resilience.
The debate also featured the executive directors of ENISA (the EU Agency for Cybersecurity) and ECCC (the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre) – agencies that play a vital role in strengthening the EU’s cyber resilience.
Adoption of the Warsaw Call
During the meeting, participants agreed that investing in Europe’s digital resilience must go hand in hand with establishing more effective coordination and incident response mechanisms at the EU level. To reaffirm their commitment to closer cooperation on cybersecurity, Council members unanimously adopted the Warsaw Call declaration.
The Warsaw Call serves as a key reference point for the EU’s future efforts to protect the digital space and enhance resilience amid growing geopolitical challenges. The document sets out thirteen recommendations, endorsed by ministers and representatives of the member states.
The Warsaw Call outlines six key areas that should guide the EU’s cybersecurity efforts:
- Strengthening crisis management by swiftly adopting the Cybersecurity Blueprint, conducting test exercises, and enhancing coordination to protect submarine cable infrastructure.
- Enhancing civil-military cooperation in cybersecurity, including EU-NATO collaboration, and improving information sharing between Member States.
- Developing a roadmap for emerging technologies, boosting EU expertise in strategic cybersecurity forecasting, and harmonising efforts to increase cybersecurity investments.
- Reinforcing the horizontal impact of the NIS 2 Directive, focusing on harmonised, innovation-friendly implementation, simplifications, reduced regulatory burdens, and strengthening EU-wide cybersecurity risk assessments.
- Addressing the shortage of cybersecurity specialists across the EU.
- Cyber diplomacy – strategically deploying all available tools within the EU Cyber Diplomacy Toolbox.
Krzysztof Gawkowski, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Digital Affairs said:
Cybersecurity is the foundation of Europe’s stability and sovereignty in the 21st century. In an era of growing geopolitical tensions, we must act together—within the European Union and in cooperation with our international partners. During today’s discussions in Warsaw, we developed concrete action plans to enhance responses to large-scale incidents, improve civil-military cooperation, and secure the necessary investments in cybersecurity – above all, in specialised personnel.
Revision of the Cybersecurity Blueprint
In addition to adopting the Warsaw Call, ministers discussed the need to update the Cybersecurity Blueprint, which sets out procedures for coordinated responses to large-scale cybersecurity incidents and crises. The European Commission’s existing recommendations are now eight years old, while the frequency and scale of cyberattacks have significantly increased.
During the meeting, ministers deliberated on improving coordination and information-sharing among Member States under the NIS2 Directive. The new Blueprint will provide clear answers to the questions: “Who?”, “What?”, and “When?” in the event of a large-scale cybersecurity incident.
Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy said:
Cyber crises know no borders and international cooperation is essential here for prevention and response.
Civil-military cooperation
Ministers also highlighted the growing importance of civil-military cooperation in response to emerging cybersecurity threats. Amid rising geopolitical tensions, cyberspace has become a key arena of international competition.
The boundaries between civilian and military operations are increasingly blurred, and effective protection against cyberattacks requires stronger information-sharing between government institutions, the military, and the private sector.
Ministers agreed that future efforts should focus on strengthening cooperation with NATO and EU cybersecurity agencies.
Investments in cybersecurity
A key topic of discussion was the funding of cybersecurity initiatives.
According to data from the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), around 62% of public institutions in the EU will need to increase their cybersecurity spending due to the implementation of the NIS2 Directive.
Ministers agreed on the need to develop a common financing policy and to identify priority investment areas, such as the protection of critical infrastructure and the development of national cybersecurity incident response centres.
The Warsaw Call sends a clear signal of the EU Member States’ determination to build a shared, resilient digital space.
The conclusions from the meeting will serve as a basis for further action in implementing the priorities of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU.
Warsaw Call Declaration
Download: Warsaw Call EN – PDF – 3.6Mb
You can watch the full press conference here.
Source – Polish EU Presidency