EC plans to allocate € 1.3 million to strengthen Georgian cybersecurity

According to the European Commission, the main goal of the project “Strengthening Georgian Cybersecurity” is to increase the country's level of preparedness for cyber threats and attacks. So, it is proposed to improve the regulatory framework following the example of the European Union and to increase the level of security of state information systems.

“The main project is to strengthen the Georgian legal and institutional framework in the field of cybersecurity to increase the level of security of networks and information systems, as well as the level of prevention, preparedness, response and resistance to threats and incidents in cyberspace,” the document states.

Applications for participation in the project, according to the description of the grant, can be submitted exclusively by government bodies and other authorized structures.

It is noted that in Georgia there is a rapid growth in the digital economy, the development of electronic administrative services, as well as a general "increase in the number of cyber attacks and cases of cyber espionage."

In this context, the EC was reminded of the incident in October 2019 in Georgia.

“On October 28, 2019, there was a massive cyberattack on many objects on the territory of Georgia. As a result, not only thousands of sites were affected, but two state-owned television channels temporarily stopped broadcasting. At the same time, the critical infrastructure of the country, apparently, was not affected, ”the text says.

It should be noted that on February 20, the foreign affairs agencies of Georgia, the USA, and Great Britain were blamed on Moscow.

The Russian side subsequently denied such allegations. So, Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko emphasized that Russia "was not going and is not going to interfere in any way in the internal affairs of Georgia in one form or another."

Earlier, the European Parliament called for increased efforts to combat cyber and hybrid threats.

In particular, it was proposed to strengthen the cyber defense mechanisms of the EU and the member states of the integration association, and to create an infrastructure resistant to cyber threats.