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Speech by Alain Berset, Secretary General of the Council of Europe

Thank you

Dear Ministers,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good morning.

It is an honour to open the Octopus Conference on Cybercrime — and to share the stage with Minister Attard and Minister Nartey George.

Thank you to Malta for bringing us together on this urgent topic early in their presidency of the Committee of Ministers.

I. STRANGER THAN FICTION

You know, when I first heard the name “Octopus,” I thought: wow, this is straight out of a James Bond movie.

But we are not in a movie. And cybercrime is no longer the stuff of fiction.

Today, Microsoft alone detects over six hundred million cyberattacks every day — nearly seven thousand every second.

The number of cyberattacks has doubled around the world since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

And the pace is still accelerating.

By some estimates, cybercrime could cost the global economy over twenty-one trillion euros by 2027 — making it one of the most dangerous and expensive threats in history.

II. THE HIDDEN COSTS TO DEMOCRACY

But some costs are harder to measure.

When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the “AcidRain” malware targeted satellite systems — causing ripple effects across Europe.

Last year, hackers compromised parliamentary servers just hours before the presidential election and constitutional referendum in the Republic of Moldova.

And only weeks ago in Romania, stories claimed that foreign soldiers — disguised in Romanian uniforms — were preparing to start a civil war if the ‘wrong’ candidate won.

False signals. False narratives. Fake soldiers.

But one real target: democracy itself.

III. DEMOCRATIC SECURITY

It is time to rethink a security architecture that treats cybercrime as a mere technical issue.

As if security were only about defending territory — not institutions, rights, and freedoms.

As if war were fought only with weapons — not with data, lies, and fear.

But today, the frontline has moved.

Cybercrime targets election systems, disrupts critical infrastructure, and spreads disinformation.

This is no longer a matter of soft or hard security.

It is about our ability to defend democracy against fast-moving, cross-border, hybrid threats — while staying true to our values.

What we call democratic security.

And this is where the Convention on Cybercrime of the Council of Europe comes in.

IV. THE BUDAPEST CONVENTION

The Budapest Convention and its Protocols give us the tools to fight cybercrime — and to defend democracy from the inside out.

They make it possible to investigate crimes, collect electronic evidence, and act across borders — fast, together, and true to democratic values.

That is why I call on all Parties to carry out the legal reforms needed to implement the Second Additional Protocol — and to ratify it without delay.

It will allow us:

• To access electronic evidence in real time.
• To cooperate directly across jurisdictions.
• And to respond to cross-border threats before they escalate.

V. A global community

In today’s digital world, no country can face these threats alone.

The strength of the Budapest Convention framework lies not only in its legal tools, but also in the global community it has built.

I saw it just last week in Astana, where President of Rwanda Paul Kagame underlined the Convention’s importance — especially as we confront new challenges like artificial intelligence and virtual assets.

We see it in the capacity-building work led by the Council of Europe’s Cybercrime Programme Office.

Since 2014, this work has powered thousands of initiatives in over 140 countries — proving that Council of Europe standards are not just regional ideals, but global solutions.

VI. GROWING MOMENTUM

As the world prepares to open a United Nations treaty against cybercrime, the Budapest Convention and its Protocols have stood the test of time.

Their core principles, offences, and cooperation tools form the backbone of the new UN treaty.

And the momentum is growing.

Since the start of UN negotiations, twelve countries have joined the Convention — and more are expected to do so here at the Octopus Conference.

Many others are aligning their laws or preparing to accede.

The most advanced tools for cross-border access to electronic evidence are still only available to Parties to the Second Protocol.

All this makes the Budapest Convention framework essential as a legal standard and a platform for cooperation.

VII. when trust breaks

Ministers, dear participants,

Warning signs have turned into red flags. And they are all around us.

Voter databases breached.

Party servers hijacked.

Deepfakes and disinformation flooding elections.

These attacks do not need to steal a single vote.
They just need to poison trust.

And when trust breaks — how long can democracy hold?

We are not in a movie.

There is no script.

What comes next is up to us.

Thank you.