ANSSI maintains its commitment to ENISA, at the dawn of a new era for cybersecurity in Europe

The reelection of Jean-Baptiste Demaison (ANSSI) as Chair of the Management Board of ENISA, confirms the strategic ambition of France for a central European Agency: a true platform and point of reference for cybersecurity in Europe, to the benefit of all Member States, the EU institutions and the European digital security ecosystem.

Publish the 24 October 2019 Updated 24 October 2019

On 15 October 2019, Jean-Baptiste Demaison (ANSSI) was reelected Chair of the Management Board of the European Agency for cybersecurity (ENISA) for a mandate of 4 years. He will be supported in his mission by Krzysztof Silicki, Deputy Chair, Deputy Director of the NASK Institute in Poland.

This election takes place shortly after

  • The designation of the new Executive Director of ENISA Juhan Lepassaar, nominated in July 2019, by the Management Board.
  • The adoption of the “Cybersecurity Act” providing ENISA with a new mandate, reinforcing and extending its missions, in particular with the establishment of a European Cybersecurity Certification Framework, in which ENISA will be playing a central role.

As a consequence, a new era opens for ENISA, which France will continue to support actively in view of further developing the capacity of the EU and of the Member States to reinforce digital trust and security in Europe.

A vision for the Agency

In a strategic vision statement presented to the Management Board, Mr. Demaison and Mr. Silicki called ENISA to become a true « European platform ».

“The time has come for scaling up the European cybersecurity model. This will require ENISA to view itself as a platform for all Member States, EU institutions and the wider digital security ecosystem” said Jean-Baptiste Demaison. “ENISA should, in particular, commit to a reinforced partnership with national cybersecurity agencies, which constitute unique resources for pulling and sharing state-of-the-art expertise and capabilities in Europe”.

The successful launch of the European Cybersecurity Certification Framework and the related commitment of all relevant public and private actors of the ecosystem, will be another top priority for the Agency in 2020.

In the context of a European institutional panorama more proactive than ever in taking into account cybersecurity challenges, such as in the transport and energy sectors “ENISA will need to continue act as a unique cybersecurity advisor able to support EU institutions, agencies and entities in their sectoral initiatives including a cyber dimension”.

A new strategy for ENISA

In 2020, as a first priority, the Management Board will be to support M. Juhan Lepassar, the new Executive Director of ENISA, to elaborate a new strategy for the Agency, which the Management Board will adopt. It will allow identifying and proposing ways to respond to priority challenges for Europe in the field of cybersecurity, starting with the successful launch of the European Cybersecurity Certification Framework.

In their vision statement, Mr. Demaison and Mr. Silicki also insisted on the need to continue working actively towards “making ENISA a model Agency, open, transparent, inclusive, safe and responsible, including on an environmental level”, in accordance with EU climate goals.

Jean-Baptiste Demaison is Chair of the Management Board of ENISA since 18 October 2016. Coordinator for International and European policy at ANSSI until 2017, he is today Advisor to the Strategy, in charge of public innovation and Advisor to the Director General on ENISA. Mr. Demaison is also rapporteur to Michel Van Den Berghe, appointed by the Prime Minister prefigurator of a Cyber Campus. Mr. Demaison also teaches at Sciences Po Paris.