More than 150 participants, including institutional leaders, regulatory authorities, cybersecurity experts, technology providers and representatives of academia, gathered on 4 March at the conference 'CRA Europe 2026 - Cyber Resilience in Action,' held at the Romanian Parliament.

The event - organised by the Cyberfort Consortium with the support of the National Directorate for Cyber Security (DNSC) and coordinated by I-Energylink - provided a relevant platform for dialogue, cooperation and the exchange of best practices, aligning European policy priorities with national implementation frameworks and project based instruments.

'Through dedicated debate panels, pilot demonstrations and applied case studies, the conference illustrated how legislative requirements, supervisory expectations and technical capabilities intersect in real operational environments,' according to a press release sent to AGERPRES.

The main aim of the initiative was to translate the requirements of the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) into clear and practical guidance for SMEs and stakeholders. 'The CRA marks a major shift in the way digital product security is approached in Europe. Organisations must integrate cybersecurity from the product and service design phase, not merely as a later compliance measure. Implementing the CRA will require close collaboration between public authorities, industry, academia and technology providers,' the organisers are quoted in the release as saying.

During the event, European and national policy perspectives were connected with operational implementation models and with real pilot experiences developed within the Cyberfort Consortium project.

The debates confirmed the strong interest in implementing the CRA at European level and the fact that digital product security is becoming a strategic priority for the European market, the press release reads.

In this context, Mihai Paun, founder of I-Energylink and coordinator of the Cyberfort Consortium, stressed that the event marks an important stage in assessing progress and aligning strategic priorities.

'This conference marks an important milestone for the Cyberfort project, facilitating meaningful discussions to assess progress, align strategic and technical priorities and jointly define the next phases of implementation. Through this initiative, Cyberfort strengthens its commitment to supporting SMEs in becoming prepared, well structured and competitive in the context of the new legislation,' Mihai Paun said.

Mihaela Curca, Cyberfort project manager within the National Directorate for Cyber Security, highlighted the consortium's role in supporting SMEs through implementation models and pilot projects in areas such as energy, finance, the maritime sector and cyber services.

'Our success is based on effective collaboration and a strong partnership between entities and experts from Romania and Cyprus who wanted to contribute to strengthening cyber resilience at European level. In the context of the new legislation, SMEs need practical guidance, tools and implementation models, while the Cyberfort pilot projects in areas such as energy, finance, the maritime sector and cyber services have highlighted real challenges and applicable solutions,' Mihaela Curca said.

The Cyberfort project, funded by the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre (ECCC) through the Digital Europe Programme, began implementation on 1 December 2024. It brings together eight partner organisations from Romania and Cyprus.

The project is coordinated by I-Energylink, in collaboration with Bolton Technologies, Clone Systems, Columbia Shipmanagement, Dealio Limited, the National Directorate for Cyber Security, Elias Neocleous and Eximprod Engineering. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Mariana Nica; EN - writing by: Adina Panaitescu)