Memorandum of understanding in the field of cyber security, signed at the Ministry of Defense

CHISINAU, March 27, 2023 — The State Secretary in the field of national defense system resources, the development of human resources and education in the military field, Sergiu Plop, and the executive director of the Estonian e-Government Academy, Hannes Astok, signed, today, a Memorandum of understanding, during a ceremony held at the Ministry of Defense.

The memorandum comes in the context of assistance provided under the European Peace Facility (EPF) and provides support in strengthening the cyber defense capabilities and resilience of the National Army. The assistance offered will increase the reaction capacity of the defense institution to counter cyber attacks and provides training, delivery of specialized equipment, as well as the creation of the necessary infrastructure for these purposes. The cost of the package is 3 million euros.

“Support from the European Union, through the EPF, will help develop the practical skills of military cyber defense specialists. This memorandum of understanding is a factor that allows for the acceleration of the implementation of the activities of the respective projects,” said State Secretary Plop.

For his part, the executive director of the e-Government Academy stated that his team has been collaborating with the Government of the Republic of Moldova for about 20 years to support its digital development, and in the last year it has focused its attention on strengthening cyber security capabilities and the resilience of our country.

“The current support provided to the National Army of Moldova adds an important new layer to this collaboration. We are eager to improve Moldovan cyber defense capabilities in line with European Union best practices,” said Hannes Astok.

The e-Government Academy is an Estonian center of excellence, founded in 2002 to increase society’s resilience to digital transformation reforms. Over the past 20 years, it has worked with more than 280 organizations and 141 countries on digital innovations around the world. In the Republic of Moldova, the e-Government Academy implements two European Union assistance projects in the cyber field.