Over 80 representatives of the security sector, law enforcement agencies, academia, the private sector and the international community in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) gathered today in Sarajevo at the presentation of the Guidelines for a Strategic Cybersecurity Framework in BiH. This is the first document in the country that will set a framework for a comprehensive and strategic approach in responding to serious cybersecurity threats in a more systematic manner.
“These Guidelines provide the basis and a good practice model for developing strategic documents dealing with related challenges at different levels of authority. The document is overarching in nature, addressing the foremost points in enhancing the cybersecurity of the country and its institutions, while entailing the highest international standards,” stated Kathleen Kavalec, Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“The OSCE Mission to BiH will continue to be a committed partner to institutions in BiH and provide support in implementing future strategies, action plans and mechanisms developed in accordance with these Guidelines,” she added.
Elisabet Tomasinec, Head of Political Section at the EU Delegation to BiH and Office of the EU Special Representative stressed: “The European Union will contine to support and strongly encourage further efforts in the area of cybersecurity and fight against cybercrime in the Western Balkans countries. Bosnia and Herzegovina has signed international agreements and conventions relevant to cybersecurity including the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the EU which stipulates the need for co-operation on combating and preventing cybercrime. However it still lacks a comprehensive overall strategic approach to address the issue of cybercrime and cybersecurity threats.”
Marina Pendes, Minister of Defence of Bosnia and Herzegovina stated: “Endangerment of cyberspace security, be it cyber threats, terrorism, escalation of relations between states, illegal trade, and all types of cybercrime, has long been not within the scope of local, but rather global. Safe, open and stabile cyber space is not just an essential need of our state institutions and society as a whole, but it implies the principles and standards in this field that Bosnia and Herzegovina has to adhere to within its membership in the United Nations and the OSCE, as well as within the integrations we aspire to.”
These Guidelines were developed under the auspices of the OSCE Mission to BiH involving all relevant state- and entity-level institutions, with the support of the EU Delegation to BiH/EUSR and the Geneva Center for Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF).
