Cyber threats—from hacking to disinformation—are growing as our daily lives become more digital. To respond to these challenges, the European Union (EU) has developed a comprehensive cyber diplomacy strategy. This approach helps protect Europe’s digital systems, builds international partnerships, and promotes responsible behaviour in cyberspace.
EU priorities in cyber diplomacy
The EU’s cyber diplomacy efforts aim to create a safer and more stable digital environment. Its priorities include:
- Promoting responsible state behaviour: The EU works through the United Nations to set global standards for how countries should behave in cyberspace, such as avoiding cyberattacks on hospitals or power grids.
- Preventing cyber conflicts: By encouraging transparency and open communication, the EU helps avoid misunderstandings that could escalate into larger crises.
- Responding to malicious cyber activities: The EU has tools like sanctions for states or actors that carry out serious cyberattacks against its members.
- Building partnerships: The EU collaborates with countries worldwide to strengthen cyber resilience and share best practices.
- Protecting digital rights: The EU ensures its values, such as privacy, free speech, and the rule of law, are respected online, including in foreign policy.
The full strategy is laid out in the EU Cybersecurity Strategy and the EU External Cybersecurity Strategy, which are managed by the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the European Commission. You can learn more at eeas.europa.eu.
What topics does the EU focus on?
In its global cyber engagements, the EU prioritises:
- Cyber resilience: Helping countries build defences against cyber threats.
- Capacity building: Training and tools for governments, especially in developing or transitional countries.
- Cybercrime prevention: Cooperation through legal frameworks and joint investigations.
- Multilateral engagement: Working with the UN, OSCE (Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe), NATO, and others to create shared rules.
- Public-private cooperation: Engaging tech companies to protect digital infrastructure and fight online threats.
How do the Balkans align with EU cyber diplomacy?
The Western Balkans, including countries like Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and North Macedonia, are already important partners in the EU’s cyber efforts. Many of them:
- Receive EU support through regional programmes that improve digital governance and critical infrastructure protection.
- Engage in regional cyber dialogues led by the EU and OSCE, where they exchange knowledge and plan joint responses.
- Align their laws and strategies with EU regulations, preparing for eventual EU membership.
Recent EU-led sessions in Sarajevo, for example, focused on confidence-building measures (CBMs), legal frameworks, and diplomatic tools that Western Balkan countries can use to strengthen cybersecurity. These efforts are not only technical but also diplomatic, helping countries speak with one voice on digital matters.
Why it matters
The EU sees cyberspace as a shared global resource. By supporting the Western Balkans, the EU helps ensure digital threats do not weaken democracies, fuel division, or undermine trust in public institutions.
A secure digital future requires strong partnerships, shared rules, and open dialogue. Cyber diplomacy is the tool that makes this possible—one that the EU is committed to developing together with its neighbours.
