The European Union Agency for Cybersecurity has released an updated international strategy to reinforce the EU’s cybersecurity ecosystem and strengthen cooperation beyond Europe’s borders. The revised ENISA International Strategy refreshes the agency’s approach to working with global partners while ensuring stronger alignment with the European Union’s international cybersecurity policies, core values, and long-term objectives.
Cybersecurity challenges today rarely stop at national or regional borders. Digital systems, critical infrastructure, and data flows are deeply intertwined across continents, making international cooperation a necessity rather than a choice. Against this backdrop,
ENISA has clarified that it will continue to engage strategically with international partners outside the European Union, but only when such cooperation directly supports its mandate to improve cybersecurity within Europe.
ENISA International Strategy Aligns Global Cooperation With Europe’s Cybersecurity Priorities
Under the updated ENISA International Strategy, the agency’s primary objective remains unchanged: raising cybersecurity levels across the EU. International cooperation is therefore pursued selectively and strategically, focusing on areas where collaboration can deliver tangible benefits to EU Member States and strengthen Europe’s overall cybersecurity resilience.
ENISA Executive Director Juhan Lepassaar highlighted the importance of international engagement in achieving this goal. He stated: “International cooperation is essential in cybersecurity. It complements and strengthens the core tasks of ENISA to achieve a high common level of cybersecurity across the Union.
Together with our Management Board, ENISA determines how we engage at an international level to achieve our mission and mandate. ENISA stands fully prepared to cooperate on the global stage to support the EU Member States in doing so.”
The strategy is closely integrated with ENISA’s broader organizational direction, including its recently renewed stakeholders’ strategy. A central focus is cooperation with international partners that share the EU’s values and maintain strategic relationships with the Union.
Expanding Cybersecurity Partnerships Beyond Europe While Supporting EU Policy Objectives
The revised ENISA International Strategy outlines several active areas of international cooperation. These include more tailored working arrangements with specific countries, notably Ukraine and the United States. These partnerships are designed to focus on capacity-building, best practice exchange, and structured information and knowledge sharing in the field of cybersecurity.
ENISA will also continue supporting the European Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) in EU cyber dialogues with partners such as Japan and the United Kingdom. Through this role, ENISA provides technical expertise to inform discussions and to help align international cooperation with Europe’s cybersecurity priorities.
Another key element of the strategy involves continued support for EU candidate countries in the Western Balkans region. From 2026 onward, this support is planned to expand through the extension of specific ENISA frameworks and tools. These may include the development of comparative cyber indexes, cybersecurity exercise methodologies, and the delivery of targeted training programs aimed at strengthening national capabilities.
Strengthening Europe’s Cybersecurity Resilience Through Multilateral Frameworks
The updated strategy also addresses the operationalization of the EU Cybersecurity Reserve, established under the 2025 EU Cyber Solidarity Act. ENISA plans to support making the reserve operational for third countries associated with the Digital Europe Programme, including Moldova, thereby extending coordinated cybersecurity response mechanisms while maintaining alignment with EU standards.
In addition, ENISA will continue contributing to the cybersecurity work of the G7 Cybersecurity Working Group. In this context, the agency provides EU-level cybersecurity expertise when required, supporting cooperation on shared cyber threats and resilience efforts. The strategy also leaves room for exploring further cooperation with other like-minded international partners where mutual interests align.
Finally, the ENISA International Strategy reaffirms the principles guiding ENISA’s international cooperation and clarifies working modalities with the European Commission, the EEAS, and EU Member States. These principles were first established following the adoption of ENISA’s initial international strategy in 2021 and have since been consolidated and refined based on practical experience and best practices.
