Established in 2013, the Central European Cyber Security Platform (CECSP) in which government organizations dealing with cyber security, National Security Authorities and Governmental and Military Event Manager Teams of Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria and Slovakia are involved, will strengthen further the cyber-defence cooperation of the Visegrád Countries and Austria, while assisting the development of a regional operational cyber-defence partnership with the setting up of working groups. An agreement was set on this issue as well among other things in Vienna, at the third CECSP taking place from 9 to 10 this April.

CECSP was founded in May 2013 on the basis of a joint Austrian-Czech initiative in order to see member countries help each other through the sharing of information on cyber-threats, best practices, experiences and know-how. Furthermore, the Platform contributes to the capacity and capability building of member countries through the harmonisation of common trainings, education, exercises and coordination of research and development. On the long run, the aim of the Platform is the establishment of a supra-national, regional cyber-defence awareness and risk management.

The priority of the current meeting in Vienna is the adoption of the working program of the Platform for the next three years and reaching an agreement about the principles of cooperation. Results of the Vienna CECSP meeting shall be tested in practice at the first joint cyber exercise in June 2014, organized by the Hungarian National Security Authority of the Ministry of Public Administration and Justice in Hungary. In this regard Mihály Zala, chairman of the National Security Authority said that it is due to the outstanding knowledge and expertise of Hungarian professionals that Hungary could not only organize, but also design the first cyber-security exercise of the Platform made through the cooperation of Austria and the Visegrád Countries.

Due to the potentially sensitive nature of the information shared between the members of the Platform, participants discussed the possibility of the design of a secure information-sharing interface, as well as the establishment of common cross-border cyber exercises and practical working groups on demand.

(Ministry of Public Administration and Justice)