The EU and the Caribbean join forces to strengthen cybersecurity

The growing frequency and sophistication of cybercrime, which threatens individual privacy, corporate data, and national security, require coordinated strategies and effective measures. These challenges make it essential for countries and regional organizations to have the appropriate tools to improve the cybersecurity environment and strengthen the fight against transnational crime, which demands multi-country collaboration, pooled efforts, and joint action.

In this context, the European Union (EU) actively supports Caribbean countries and their regional organizations, such as CARICOM IMPACS, through the EU–Caribbean Cooperation Mechanism project, in establishing appropriate mechanisms to address today’s cyber challenges. This support has taken shape, among other initiatives, through the organization of visits focused on cybersecurity and the fight against cybercrime.

One such visit brought together high-level representatives from Caribbean countries and regional organizations. The visit concluded with a call for collaboration within the Caribbean region and with the EU and its Member States, highlighting the importance of developing formal mechanisms for cooperation among agencies, drawing inspiration from European national cybersecurity coordination centers. It also underscored the need to raise political awareness of cyber threats to ensure an effective operational response.

In total, 15 high-level representatives from seven Caribbean countries that are signatories to the EU–LAC Digital Alliance (Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago), along with Caribbean regional organizations, took part. During the visit, participants met with more than 40 entities in the Netherlands and Romania, including national and European Union bodies, as well as representatives from the private sector and civil society.

The meetings focused on two main themes: cybersecurity and the fight against cybercrime. This enabled participants to examine the European Union’s legal and operational tools for tackling cybercrime, as well as the systems that underpin cybersecurity in Europe.

To address these crimes, participants learned how European countries respond to high-tech crime, through examples from the Netherlands and Romania, and how they organize their national cybersecurity and organized crime-fighting structures.

Another topic addressed was the implementation of existing legal instruments, such as the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime and its protocols, which are considered key to effectively combating cyber threats.

Reference was also made to the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise, an international initiative that promotes a safer, freer, and more open digital environment and encourages the exchange of knowledge and best practices in cybersecurity.