European Commission - Directorate General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology
European Commission - Directorate General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology
06/30/2026 | News release | Distributed by Public on 07/01/2026 04:15
Cybersecurity Skills Coalition EDIC set to champion and support the EU Cybersecurity Skills Academy
The Commission together with participating Member States has launched the Cybersecurity Skills Coalition European Digital Infrastructure Consortium (CSC-EDIC) to accelerate the take up and deepening of critical cybersecurity skills needed in the European workforce.
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The CSC-EDIC will play a key role in the implementation of the EU's Cybersecurity Skills Academy, a flagship cybersecurity skills initiative launched by the Commission in 2023.
Announced in Brussels by Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy Henna Virkkunen during the Digital Skills EU Days 2026, the CSC-EDIC will have its seat in Athens, with Greece, Cyprus, Austria, Croatia and Slovenia coming together as founding members. Czechia and Poland have joined as observers. Other Member States will be able to join at any time under fair and reasonable terms. The launch comes on the same day as the adoption of the Commission decision to establish the CSC-EDIC.
Since launching, the Cybersecurity Skills Academy has resulted in 26 pledges from global industry leaders who have helped to train more than 900,000 cyber professionals, while ten partnerships have been established through the Industry-Academia Network. The Academy has helped expand the uptake of ENISA's European Cybersecurity Skills Framework among industry.
The CSC-EDIC will further operationalise the Academy by developing and delivering tailored cybersecurity training programmes, measuring cybersecurity skills gaps, and serving as secretariat for the Industry-Academia Network. With ENISA, it will enhance cyber resilience in critical sectors, particularly healthcare, support an EU-wide attestation scheme for cybersecurity skills, and design career pathways and micro-credentials, while engaging industry partners through pledges of trainings.
Background
European Digital Infrastructure Consortia (EDIC) are an innovative European instrument enabling Member States to organise multi-country projects on thematic topics. Resources and expertise are pooled together to help improve actions.
The CSC-EDIC has already received a €3.1 million grant from the Digital Europe Programme to support the initial setup and running of the EDIC, including the governance structures, personnel and operations needed to get it off the ground.
Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy Henna Virkkunen said:
"We need to build the technical skills to meet our cybersecurity challenges in the EU and guarantee a well-equipped workforce. The CSC-EDIC launched today is a great step towards boosting these essential skills and will support the important work of the EU Cyber Skills Academy."
Find further information
- Other European Digital Infrastructure Consortiums (EDICs)
- The CSC-EDIC project funded by the EU through the Digital Europe Programme
- The European Cybersecurity Skills Academy
- Cybersecurity skills and awareness
European Commission - Directorate General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology published this content on June 30, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on July 01, 2026 at 10:15 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]