EU SMEs 2030: boosting cyber-resilience during the EU’s Digital Decade

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Digital & Data Governance

01Mar2023

starts 10:00

ends 11:30

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EU SMEs are vulnerable to the booming trade in cybercrime

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are often referred to as the backbone of the European economy. They represent 99% of all EU businesses and account for around two-thirds of all jobs, but remain especially vulnerable to attacks by cyber criminals. Unless SMEs become more resilient, Europe faces severe challenges.

In a morning debate hosted on Wednesday 1 March by Friends of Europe, policymakers, academics and industry representatives discussed what’s at stake and how to ensure that Europe’s economic powerhouse isn’t crippled by criminals seeking to mine data or bitcoin from unsuspecting, unprepared businesses.

There was broad agreement on the challenges SMEs face: a lack of a skilled workforce, access to capital and having to deal with bureaucracy.

While 92% of SMEs recently surveyed by Kantar see cyber-security as important, only 16% feel ‘very well prepared’. Top-down as well as bottom-up action is needed to keep SMEs safe from attacks that can and do bankrupt unprepared businesses.

Karen Massin, Head of EU Government Affairs and Public Policy at Google, unveiled a new study, entitled ‘Europe’s SMEs in the Digital Decade 2030: building cyber-resilience, overcoming uncertainty‘. It finds that while 92% of SMEs recognise the threat posed by cybercrime, only 16% of businesses feel very well prepared for a potential attack.

Roughly 43% of firms were attacked in the past year. “We’ve seen a 300% increase in attacks in the past year alone,” she said. “SMEs are often the target. It’s the staff who are targeted with phishing attempts. You have to protect the individuals.”

The study reveals that the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the digitalisation of SMEs, however, it also shows that only 15% to 20% of SMEs are using big data and artificial intelligence. Even though digital literacy is probably the best defence, “there’s a risk that SMEs may be put off digital as a result of being attacked,” Massin said.

“It’s not enough to rely on policy tools. We can’t solve this at EU level. There needs to be a bottom-up drive from universities,” Ivan Štefanec, Member of the European Parliament and President of SME Europe, noted.

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Schedule

How do the European Commission’s policies on cyber-resilience – particularly the European Cybersecurity Skills framework and the Cybersecurity Skills Academy – translate into the European skills agenda and education area? How will they facilitate the right framework conditions to support SMEs?
How can public and private actors coordinate their efforts in addressing the areas where the EU’s DESI index suggests deficits exist?
What are the tools and solutions that can be developed by leading companies in order to help SMEs overcome the hurdles posed by various regional infrastructures?

Moderator

Dharmendra Kanani

Chief Operating Officer and Chief Spokesperson of Friends of Europe

Speakers

Christiane Kirketerp de Viron

Head of Unit for Cybersecurity and Digital Privacy at the European Commission Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CNECT)

Karen Massin

Head of EU Government Affairs and Public Policy at Google

Ivan Štefanec

Member of the European Parliament Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) and President of SME Europe

Iva Tasheva

Co-Founder and Cybersecurity Lead at CYEN

Speakers

In her current role, Michelle Ancher teaches information security management at the THUAS Faculty of IT and Design, and serves as a member of the THUAS research group on cybercrime and cyber-security. As a behavioural scientist, she is primarily interested in the human aspects of cyber-security. Through her research on behavioural change and (social) environmental design, she works to improve the cyber resilience of (young) professionals in small and medium-sized enterprises and helps direct professionals towards a cyber-safe future. In her dual role, Ancher also creates cross-cutting impact by connecting research and education with the professional field, sharing and generating knowledge, and conducting practical experiments with students.

In her current position, Christiane Kirketerp de Viron is responsible for DG CNECT’s work on the Cyber Resilience Act, the NIS2 directive, cyber defence policy, cyber-security certification and international cyber relations. Prior to this, she was member of cabinet for the European Commissioner for Budget and Administration, where she led on the digital transformation of the European Commission, as well as the cyber-security of EU institutions, bodies and agencies. Kirketerp de Viron has also previously served as a member of the cabinet for the European Commissioner for Research Innovation and Science.

Massin leads Google’s Government Affairs & Public Policy team in Brussels, driving the development and implementation of outreach strategies, and engaging in various policy areas affecting the digital industry such as platform policies, privacy, content management, economic recovery and sustainability. Previously, Massin was the CEO of the public affairs consultancy BCW, leading its Public Affairs Practice across Europe and managing pan-European advocacy programs for a wide range of industries towards regulators, industry, NGOs and media. She was previously a board member of EPACA, where she supported the trade body on setting priorities and strategic direction. Previously, Massin worked at the UN, the European Commission and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Ivan Štefanec is a Member of the European Parliament, where he sits on the Committee for the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO). He is also a substitute in the Committee for Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) and the Delegation to the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Association Committee. As the President of SME Europe, Štefanec focuses on small and medium-sized enterprises, employment, entrepreneurship and the (digital) single market. Before entering politics, he worked at Coca-Cola Beverages Slovakia as a financial director and executive director. Štefanec later also became the director of European integration at Coca-Cola HBC in Vienna.

As the Co-Founder and Cybersecurity Lead of CYEN, Iva Tasheva helps public and private sector organisations manage cybersecurity governance, risk and compliance. In addition to her work for CYEN, she is a Member of the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) Ad-Hoc Working Groups on Enterprise Security and an Adviser to the Obelis European Authorized Representative Center (OEARC), as well as a Board Member of the Data Protection Officers (DPO) Circle and a Founding Member of the Belgian Chapter of Women4Cyber. Notably, Tasheva has been shortlisted for the Belgium’s Cyber Personality of the Year Award by the Belgian Cybersecurity Coalition.

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