The EU-NATO High-Level Staff Talks on Cyber Security and Defence are co-chaired between Managing Director Benedikta von Seherr-Thoss (EEAS) and Assistant Secretary General David van Weel (NATO).

To strengthen cooperation and intensify the relationship in cyber defence and cyber security between EU and NATO, senior officials from both organizations met on 22 September 2023 at NATO Headquarters to take stock of recent developments and explore possible future further areas of engagement on cyber security and cyber defence.

‘Most of our Members are also part of NATO, so it is very important to make sure that what we do in the EU, also makes sense in the context of NATO, and vice versa’ said Benedikta von Seherr-Thoss, Managing Director of Peace, Security and Defence at the European External Action Service. ’This has become even more important because the EU is taking more responsibility for its own security, for example with the EU Policy on Cyber Defence.’

Lorena Boix Alonso, Director for Digital Society, Trust and Cybersecurity in European Commission’s Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CONNECT) adds: ’Cooperation between EU and NATO is crucial for our cybersecurity. We welcome the efforts of NATO to further strengthen resilience and response capabilities in the cyber domain and look forward to further deepening our cooperation on cybersecurity and cyber resilience.‘

In line with the EU Strategic Compass and the EU Policy on Cyber Defence, EU and NATO will continue working together on enhancing shared situational awareness, cyber capacity building and preventing, deterring and responding to cyber threats.