GENEVA

The Swiss government on Wednesday decided to join the European Cyber Security Organization (ECSO).



In a press release, the government said the move would strengthen Switzerland's cyber security and enable greater coordination with European partners.


“Membership of ECSO allows Switzerland to obtain important information on current technology decisions and developments as well as access to expert networks,” it said.


“Furthermore, thanks to ECSO membership, Swiss specialist agencies will have access to ECSO's recommendations and priorities for the EU's research programs,” the press release added.

According to the federal government, Switzerland will also have access to the ECSO working groups, which enable a topic-specific exchange with experts from the EU.

Bern will also have access to the technology papers produced by the working groups and can help shape the organization.


ECSO was founded in 2016 as a non-profit association in Belgium to launch a public-private partnership with the European Commission in the field of cybersecurity.

In its press release, the Swiss government describes the organization as the only European cross-sectoral and independent membership organization for cybersecurity.

According to its website, ECSO brings together and represents public and private European cybersecurity stakeholders and promotes their cooperation.

According to the organization, the approximately 300 members of ECSO include large companies, SMEs and start-ups, research centers, universities, associations and local, regional and national public administrations of the member states of the European Union (EU), the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and the European Economic Area (EEA).

The EU repeatedly sees itself as a victim of cyberattacks, for which it blames Russia in particular.

On May 3 of this year, for example, the EU condemned “malicious cyber activities” against Germany and the Czech Republic.

“The insidious cyber campaign demonstrates Russia's continued pattern of irresponsible behavior in cyberspace by attacking democratic institutions, government agencies and critical infrastructure providers across the European Union and beyond,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement.