The high-level conference of the Estonian presidency of the Council of the EU on Cyber Security, called “Digital Single Market, Common Digital Security 2017”, took place at Swissotel in Tallinn on September 14-15.
After opening words by Estonian Prime Minister Jüri Ratas, the first keynote speech was given by Mounir Mahjoubi, French Secretary of State for Digital Affairs.
Mounir Mahjoubi has an entrepreneurial background. He has been the head of digital campaign of Emmanuel Macron, before joining the French government on May 17th where he is in charge of digital transformation of the state and the economy.
From Paris, where the French government is dealing with the post-Irma hurricane crisis, Mounir Mahjoub addressed the audience through a recorded video.
He fist claimed that European citizens and policy makers still underestimate the stakes of cyber security, which are mainly to build a Europe that protects its citizens while remaining faithful to its core values like freedom. He then introduced the 3 main directions France is calling for regarding a European strategy on cyber security:
- supporting the growth of a strong private sector in all domains of cyber security
- drafting a high quality regulatory framework for Europe, which certifications could become a recognized standard wolrdwide
- strengthening state-level capabilities (in terms of infrastructures, crisis management capabilities, or raising awareness among businesses, administrations and populations)
During the conference, 3 other French speakers are programmed: Guillaume Poupard and Cyril Cuvillier (ANSSI, French agency of cyber security), and Vice-Admiral Arnaud Coustillière (Ministry of Defense).
Replay of the first day of the conference:
Mounir Mahjoubi’s speech starts at 00:35:00