"The next phase in strengthening national cybersecurity is the construction of the new Government Centre for Cyber ​​Incident Response– GOVCIRT," stated the Minister of Digital Transformation Stefan Andonovski at the forum "Technologies and Best Practices in Cyber ​​Security. Experiences from the Republic of Italy", held today in Skopje.
The event was attended by representatives of Italian institutions and companies, as well as experts and representatives of Macedonian institutions, who discussed new models and solutions for improving cyber resilience.
Minister Andonovski emphasised that the Government is fully committed to creating a safe, stable and modern digital ecosystem, and that the new Law on Cyber ​​Security, adopted this year, is the foundation for a European standard in this area.
“With this law, we are setting a clear framework for risk management, rapid incident response and coordination between institutions. This is a signal that Macedonia is ready to function safely even in times of complex digital threats,” highlighted the minister.
He also recalled the National Cyber ​​Security Strategy, which defines the vision for creating a cyber-resilient society and sets priorities for critical infrastructure, human resources and international cooperation.
The minister announced the establishment of the new Government Center for Cyber ​​Incident Response (GOVCIRT) as a central institution for the protection of national digital systems.
“We are investing in infrastructure, modern tools and 24/7 operational readiness. The finalisation of the Roadmap for the development of GOVCIRT is underway, which will expand the team’s expertise and enable integration into European information exchange networks,” said Andonovski.
In his address, the Minister also reflected to the major steps taken by the state in digitalization so far:
• over 76 institutions are connected to the National Interoperability,
• the uslugi.gov.mk portal offers over 300 electronic services,
• the national digital wallet is in the test phase,
• legal foundations for digital signature and digital identity have been established.
“Digitization makes no sense without trust, and trust does not exist without strong cybersecurity,” emphasized the Minister.
In the concluding part of his address, Minister Andonovski said that cybersecurity is the silent architecture of the digital state and that Macedonia is resolutely building that system through legal solutions, strategies and international partnerships.
“With the new Law, the National Strategy and the development of GOVCIRT, we are laying the foundation for the trust that the digital state holds. That is our next phase – to build a stable and European model of cybersecurity,” concluded Minister Andonovski.
Minister Andonovski expressed gratitude to Italy for the support and shared experiences in the field of cybersecurity.
