EU Statement at the Ad Hoc Committee to prepare the draft text of the rules of procedure for the Conference of the States Parties to the UN Convention against Cybercrime, 26 January 2026

Your Excellencies,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States. Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Republic of Moldova, Serbia, and Ukraine align themselves with this statement.

The EU and its Member States would first like to congratulate H.E. Eduardo Paes Saboia for being elected as new Chair of the Bureau of the UN Ad Hoc Committee. We look forward to working with you in the upcoming discussions.

The European Union and its Member States would also like to thank the co-facilitators, H.E. Mr. Alex Francisco Wetzig Abdale, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Chile to the United Nations in Vienna, and H.E. Mr. Mohamed Nasr, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Egypt to the United Nations in Vienna, for their engagement as cofacilitators on the rules of procedures of the new Conference of the States Parties of the UN Convention against Cybercrime.

It isn't an easy task.

The adoption of this Convention was a collective success for all UN members, as it testified to our collective ability to work together to tackle the global challenge of cybercrime.

Mr Chair,

The EU and its Member States are committed to an effective implementation of the Convention. The EU and 13 EU Member States were among the first signatories to the Convention last October in Hanoi.

As mandated by the General Assembly resolution 79/243, the EU and its Member States are committed to supporting the preparations of the rules of procedure to be submitted to the Conference for consideration at its first session.

The rules of procedure should ensure a steadfast, effective and efficient application of the UN Convention against Cybercrime, which complements the UN Conventions on Transnational and Organised Crime (UNTOC) and Corruption (UNCAC), as well as the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, filling the gaps in international cooperation, and making the world a safer place.

We recognize the collective commitment in this process so far, and would like to encourage all delegations to keep this momentum going in order to reach an agreement on the rules of procedure in Vienna this week.

Mr Chair,

The EU and its Member States are committed to tackling cybercrime through international cooperation, fostering effective information sharing, and support large-scale operational cooperation to dismantle cybercriminal networks. The EU and its Member States also aim to strengthen global resilience, enhance the capacity of justice and law enforcement authorities, and promote a safe and secure digital environment worldwide, where fundamental rights are respected. In doing so, we seek to build long-term international partnerships based on trust, cooperation and a shared responsibility to ensure an open, stable and secure cyberspace.

Pursuant to those principles, the EU and its Member States believe that, the future rules of procedure of the Conference of the States Parties to the Convention should ensure that all future parties to the Convention can benefit from the views, experience and expertise of stakeholders, including non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, academic institutions and the private sector, as during the negotiation of this Convention. The appropriate involvement of stakeholders is vital to guarantee that discussions in the Conference of States Parties are well-informed and that all Parties can effectively implement the Convention. For example, we need companies to advise us on how to effectively obtain from them the electronic evidence we need for our investigations. We also need victims' organisations to inform us of how victims of child sexual abuse are targeted and how we can better protect children from online predators.

We welcome that the revised draft text, in particular its Rules 17 paragraphs 1 and 2 and its compilation 1 for Rule 17, is starting to reflect the convergence that a majority of delegations showed, throughout the last informal sessions, towards rules on stakeholder participation.

The participation modalities should enable stakeholders to attend meetings as appropriate, make oral interventions at appropriate stages of discussions, access relevant documentation and submit written contributions.

We should also aim for a regular session of a conference that is efficient and not burdensome. By meeting every 3 years, the COSP will be able to take meaningful decisions allowing sufficient time to prepare and discuss them. Meeting every 3 years would give more weight and political traction to the fight against cybercrime.

In the same manner, we believe that a lean bureau composed of 5 representatives from the 5 UN regions would better empower the bureau and its elected representatives.

Mr Chair,

Finally, and more generally, and while considering the importance of pragmatism in the UN 80 reform, a key priority for the EU is that the rules of procedure remain clear, general, practical and ensure a well-functioning and efficient Conference.

Thank you.