Cybersecurity has no borders and we must act with this in mind, because we cannot defend ourselves alone and defence can only be collective, Mihai Lupascu, head of the Cybersecurity Agency (ASC) of the Republic of Moldova, said on Wednesday at the Bucharest Cybersecurity Conference (BCC2026).

'We believe that the digital landscape and the cybersecurity landscape will be among the first areas to be aligned with EU integration. In this regard, it is extremely beneficial for us to learn from our colleagues in Romania about how they have progressed along the path to EU integration. Of course, Romania is helping both us and Ukraine as a gateway to the European Union, because it is a neighbouring country and also the EU member state that is our countries' closest partner.

'Cybersecurity has no borders, and this is a truism. We must act with this in mind. We cannot defend ourselves alone; we face the same malicious actors, and defence can only be collective,' Lupascu emphasised.

The head of the ASC also referred to the new Cyber Alliance for Regional Resilience, established earlier this year by Romania, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova in a trilateral format.

'The Alliance itself was formalised in Kyiv at the beginning of this year, but it is important to note that our cooperation did not begin at that point. We already had very good cooperation in various formats, including bilateral arrangements, and this Alliance emerged as a natural continuation of our existing projects and cooperation.

'From Moldova's perspective, we must acknowledge that our location in this region, the particular geopolitical and historical context, and the times we are living in oblige us to cooperate. It is impossible to act or protect ourselves independently.

'In our case, the National Cybersecurity Agency was only established in 2024, so we are among the newcomers in this field. Consequently, we had no option but to cooperate and learn lessons from our partners' experience. As I mentioned, the Alliance was only formalised at the beginning of this year, but before that we had already held various training sessions and exercises. I am very proud to say that the next exercise we plan to organise in this format will take place in Chisinau next month,' Mihai Lupascu said.

On February 20 2026, Ukraine, Romania and the Republic of Moldova signed a trilateral Memorandum of Understanding establishing the Cyber Alliance for Regional Resilience, aimed at strengthening resilience against cyber threats and hybrid threats with a cyber component.

The memorandum was signed at the Kyiv International Cyber Resilience Forum 2026 by Ukraine's National Cybersecurity Coordination Centre under the National Security and Defence Council (NCSCC), Romania's National Directorate for Cyber Security (DNSC) and the Cybersecurity Agency of the Republic of Moldova (ASC).

The Alliance aims to strengthen resilience against cyber threats and hybrid threats with a cyber component through strategic cooperation, knowledge sharing, advanced technologies, coordinated responses to cross-border cyber incidents and mutual assistance in protecting democratic values. The document also highlights the importance of drawing on Ukraine's unique experience in countering cyber threats, gained in the context of the war launched by the Russian Federation, and incorporating this practical expertise into efforts to strengthen collective regional resilience.

The National Directorate for Cyber Security, in partnership with Bitdefender, is organising the 2026 edition of the Bucharest Cybersecurity Conference (BCC2026) from October 20 to 22. The event is a major forum for international dialogue on cybersecurity.

The conference is supported by the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre (ECCC), the NCC-RO National Coordination Centre and the National Association for Information Systems Security (ANSSI). AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Daniel Badea; EN - writing by: Cristina Zaharia)