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Belgium submits candidacy for future EU cybersecurity centre

Brussels region Minister-President Rudi Vervoort pictured during a press conference, Wednesday 07 October 2020 at the Brussels City Hall (BELGA PHOTO THIERRY ROGE)
10:23 18/11/2020

Belgium has submitted its candidacy for the future European Union centre for cybersecurity. The planned centre would be located in Evere. EU member states will vote on which country will be the location of the new centre on 9 December.

The European Union wants the centre to be a place where all the major European players in cybersecurity can come together. By doing this, the EU hopes to put an end to the fragmented landscape of cybersecurity products and services and provide better coordination and collaboration.

The European Cybersecurity Competence Centre (ECCC) has been allocated €2.8 billion to establish itself and €2 billion for its development. This money will come from Horizon Europe and Digital Europe's budget for 2021-2028.

The Brussels region was selected as a candidate location for Belgium last week with the main players in cyber security in Belgium and many of the main Brussels institutions with an interest all agreeing on the proposal. Other European countries that have applied to host the centre are Germany (Munich), Lithuania (Vilnius), Luxembourg, Romania (Bucharest) and Spain (Leòn).

Rudi Vervoort, minister-president of the Brussels-Capital Region, said that the future cybersecurity centre would be a huge opportunity for the Brussels region, especially in terms of employment. "The centre will work with a workforce of 30 to 50 experts, with growth prospects of up to 80 full-time employees by 2023-2024,” he said. “That’s not taking into account the usual support staff in this kind of organization."

"If this centre is established in Brussels, it could have a very positive effect on the ecosystem of companies involved in cybersecurity in our region, a very promising sector in terms of activities and job creation," he added.

Written by Nick Amies