Skopje, 12 November 2025 (MIA) – Aiming to enable know-how exchange, institutional and business cooperation, and partnerships between Italian and Macedonian cybersecurity companies, with a particular focus on the cybersecurity of critical infrastructure in energy, civil aviation, healthcare, and telecommunications, the conference “Technologies and Best Practices for Cybersecurity: Italy’s Experience” is being held Wednesday in Skopje, organised by the Italian Embassy in Skopje in cooperation with the Italian Trade Agency (ITA).

Minister of Digital Transformation Stefan Andonovski, speaking at the conference, stressed that the country is advancing in digitalization while continuously fostering trust in the system through robust cybersecurity.

He noted that last year the country adopted its first cybersecurity law, which should be viewed not only as a legal framework but as guidance for all participants in the process and users of digital services. He also mentioned the National Strategy for 2025–2030. Andonovski referred to the Government CIRT as the core of the government’s digital defense, which will serve as the official unit for managing cyber incidents.

Andonovski also referred to the Government CIRT, which he described as the heart of the government’s defense in the digital space. He said it will serve as the government unit for handling cyber incidents.

“In addition to cybersecurity, we have also focused on developing major digital transformation projects. To date, more than 76 private companies and state institutions have been connected to the national interoperability platform - our digital highway. Tens of millions of transactions are carried out paper-free, marking a 160 percent increase compared to last year, while the portal uslugi.gov.mk offers over 300 electronic services for citizens,” Andonovski said.. 

He said that digitalization is meaningless without trust, and trust cannot exist without cybersecurity. That is why, he added, the Government is focused on building trust from institutions toward citizens and businesses.

“Cybersecurity is a kind of silent architecture, we do not see it every day, we do not pay much attention to it, but the entire digital system relies on it. For that reason, as a country, we are committed to building this architecture carefully, wisely, systematically and in accordance with European standards. Through this law, the national strategy, the Government CIRT, and partnerships like today’s, we are putting this into practice,” Andonovski said.

Italian Ambassador to North Macedonia Paolo Palminteri said that events like this, as well as cooperation in this rapidly expanding sector in Italy, can play an important role in advancing bilateral economic relations, which is part of the strategy of the ITA office and the Embassy.

“Our goal is to draw the attention of Italian entrepreneurs to everything this country has to offer, which we find interesting, and to strengthen and improve economic relations. This would certainly lead to greater development for both us and the Republic of North Macedonia, with the ultimate goal being EU accession. That would naturally enable a privileged economic relationship. But the European community is not only about economic development, it is also about security. Security is indivisible between Europe and the Balkans, between EU member states and others, because security is shared and depends on all of us,” Ambassador Palminteri said.

He underlined that every country must work to strengthen cyber security, which, he pointed out, has been especially disrupted since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“The situation in Italy is the same as everywhere else in Europe. Since 2022, after Russia’s brutal attack on Ukraine, security has been disrupted. Hybrid threats to security, including cyberattacks, have increased. They are constantly on the rise, and according to reports, in 2024 they grew by 15.2 percent compared to the previous year,” Palminteri noted.

The conference is to feature a plenary session with speakers from North Macedonia and Italy, along with a presentation showcasing some of Italy’s best practices in tackling cybersecurity challenges.

Photo: MIA and Ministry of Digital Transformation