Cybercrime

From 7 to 9 April 2026, the Cybercrime Programme Office of the Council of Europe (C-PROC), through CyberEast+, Cyber SEE, CyberSouth+ and GLACY-e, joint projects of the European Union and of the Council of Europe, supported a regional technical co-operation exercise themed with incident handling and investigation of current cyberthreats. This event was organised under the Presidency of the Republic of Moldova of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers, in partnership with the Estonian E-Governance Academy (eGA) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

The three-day exercise, designed to enhance digital security across regions, brought together over 60 representatives of law enforcement, specialised prosecutors and cybersecurity experts responsible for the protection of critical information infrastructure from 20 countries. Key highlights included tackling infostealer infrastructure, handling ransomware and ultimately dismantling a criminal organisation that was disseminating child abuse material.

The State Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Mr. Alexandru Bejan joined the opening of the meeting and stated that the Republic of Moldova faces specific challenges arising from developments in its immediate neighbourhood, including risks associated with hybrid warfare and disinformation campaigns, which amplify cyber vulnerabilities and underlined the need for the continuous strengthening of response capacities. He also underscored that the Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention) and its Additional Protocols constitute the cornerstone of international co-operation in the field of cybercrime and electronic evidence, providing the necessary legal framework for coordinated action among States.

Further remarks by Mr. Victor Lapusneanu, Head of Multilateral Cooperation Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs highlighted the importance of the event under the Presidency of the Republic of Moldova, where strengthening the response to cybercrime is among key priorities. He noted that cyber threats are not limited to financial losses; they can disrupt critical infrastructure and affect security at local, regional, and global levels.

Mr. Virgil Spiridon, Head of C-PROC, in his opening speech, referred to the New Democratic Pact for Europe that puts special emphasis on democratic resilience, which is also very much dependent on the cyber resilience of the democratic societies against cybercrime and attacks on critical systems.

Mr. Klaid Mägi, Azerbaijan Country Coordinator of the e-Governance Academy (eGA) project “Improving Cyber Resilience in EaP Countries” emphasised the importance of regional exercises in bringing together cybersecurity and cybercrime professionals and providing them with a structured framework for cooperation. He further highlighted that the efforts of the eGA and of GIZ are aimed at improving cyber resilience in the region and underlined that the partnership with the Council of Europe (through C-PROC) is of key importance in achieving these objectives.

The Council of Europe through its Cybercrime Programme Office is committed to fostering a culture of information sharing and to improving digital forensics skills across borders, by developing cybercrime technical exercises requiring coordinated responses and interagency co-operation.

Cybercrime Programme Office of the Council of Europe (C-PROC)

CyberEast+

 Cyber SEE

 CyberSouth+

 GLACY-e

Estonian E-Governance Academy (eGA)

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)

New Democratic Pact for Europe

Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention)

First Additional Protocol to the Convention on Cybercrime

Second Additional Protocol to the Convention on Cybercrime

Presidency of the Republic of Moldova of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers