The project is aimed at creating multi-national response networks, cyber teams made up of EU cyber defence experts.
The memorandum was signed by Croatian Deference Minister Damir Krsticevic, Lithuanian Defence Minister Raimundas Karoblis, his Estonian counterpart Juri Luik, Dutch Defence Minister Ank Bijleveld-Schouten, Romanian Defence Minister Nicolae Ionel Ciucă and Polish Deputy Defence Minister Pawel Wozny. Also present at the signing was Josep Borrell Fontelles, current High Representative of the European Union.
By taking part in this project within PESCO, the Croatian Defence Ministry and the Croatian Army will continue to develop skills in the cyber security sector in which the role of a recently founded Cyber Command is critical, according to the press release.
"I would like to thank Minister Raimundas Karoblis for the work Lithuania is doing to coordinate the project. In 2018 when the project was launched, Croatia was one of the first countries to join. We recognised the potential of the project for strengthening national, EU and NATO cyber abilities," Krsticevic said.
On behalf of the county coordinating the project, Lithuanian Minister Karoblis said this project within PESCO had a great value for all the countries signatories to the project as it will strengthen their cyber defence mechanism.
PESCO is the acronym of the Permanent Structured Cooperation, established in December 2017 to raise cooperation on defence among the participating EU Member States to a new level. Introduced by the Lisbon Treaty on European Union (article 42.6, 46 and Protocol 10), PESCO is a framework and process to deepen defence cooperation between those EU Member States who are capable and willing to do so. 25 EU Member States have joined PESCO.