BRUSSELS: Senior cybersecurity officials from EU Member States and the Commission participated in the annual ‘Blueprint Operational Level Exercise’ (Blue OLEx) to evaluate the EU’s preparedness for potential cyber crises. This exercise is a key initiative aimed at strengthening cybersecurity defenses and ensuring a safer digital environment for citizens and businesses across the member states.
According to Emirates News Agency, this year’s exercise was led by the Italian authorities, with support from the EU agency for cybersecurity, ENISA. The 2024 edition of Blue OLEx focuses on executive-level cooperation, particularly through the Cyber Crisis Liaison Organisation Network (EU-CyCLONe). EU-CyCLONe was established following the implementation of the NIS2 Directive, which aims to maintain a high level of cybersecurity across the Union.
The exercise serves to help cybersecurity leaders identify areas needing improvement in standardized responses to incidents and crises. EU CyCLONe plays a crucial role in man
aging large-scale cyber incidents and crises at the operational level. It supplements existing EU cybersecurity structures by bridging cooperation at the technical level, such as the Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRTs), and at the political level, like the Integrated Political Crisis Response (IPCR).
The outcomes of this exercise will contribute to the assessment of the Blueprint for a coordinated response to large-scale cybersecurity incidents and crises, a strategy adopted in 2017.
