Europe’s leading energy and cybersecurity organizations convened in Brussels for the 8th Cybersecurity Forum, which addressed the growing challenges in securing the continent’s power grid.
Hosted by the European Distribution System Operators (E.DSO), the European Energy Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EE-ISAC), the European Network for Cyber Security (ENCS), and the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), the event attracted over 200 participants, including decision-makers from the European Commission and various national regulators. The forum focused on the impact of new EU frameworks like the NIS2 Directive, Network Code on Cybersecurity (NCCS), and Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) on the security of Europe’s increasingly digital and decentralized grids.
Addressing Security Gaps
The forum featured speeches from key representatives such as Charles Esser of E.DSO, Aurelio Blanquet of EE-ISAC, Anjos Nijk of ENCS, and Dimitra Liveri from ENISA, who collectively underscored the urgency of safeguarding Europe's interconnected electricity grids. Rémy Garaude-Verdier from Enedis and E.DSO emphasized the critical need for unified efforts, likening the grid to a "nervous system" whose security depends on consistent, reflexive responses.
ENCS provided a live demonstration revealing vulnerabilities in common consumer-energy technologies like EV chargers, PV inverters, and home batteries. As these devices expand to represent hundreds of gigawatts of controllable capacity by 2030, experts agreed on the necessity of integrating cybersecurity measures from the design phase through to deployment.
Emerging Cybersecurity Threats
Complexity of cybersecurity threats and advocating for a cross-sector alliance to effectively address these challenges
Fabrice Comptour, Cyber Defense Coordinator at DG CONNECT, highlighted the new vulnerabilities accompanying Europe's clean-energy transition, describing cybersecurity as a crucial mission rather than a mere checkbox task.
Veli-Pekka Saajo of Energiavirasto echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the complexity of cybersecurity threats and advocating for cross-sector collaboration to effectively address these challenges.
Enhancing Risk Management
The event included panel discussions on harmonizing standards, enhancing information sharing, and improving coordination among operators, regulators, and suppliers. Experts from the European Commission, World Bank, ENISA, CEN/CENELEC, SolarPower Europe, and EASE stressed the importance of a unified approach to risk management and response strategies.
Michaela Kollau of DG Energy concluded the event by reinforcing the idea that the resilience of Europe’s energy grids hinges on collective adherence to existing legislation and best practices in cybersecurity.
Europe’s pioneering energy and cybersecurity organizations – The Association of European Distribution System Operators (E.DSO), the European Energy Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EE-ISAC), the European Network for Cyber Security (ENCS), and the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) – hosted the 8th Cybersecurity Forum in Brussels, a high-level event addressing the continent’s evolving power grid security challenges.
Bringing together more than 200 participants from the European Commission, national regulators, DSOs and TSOs, and the wider energy and cybersecurity community, the Forum provided a platform to discuss how new EU frameworks – including the NIS2 Directive, Network Code on Cybersecurity (NCCS) and Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) – are reshaping the way Europe secures its increasingly digital and decentralized grids.
How security gaps in common consumer-energy technologies
Representatives from the Forum Partners, Charles Esser, Secretary General at E.DSO, Aurelio Blanquet, Secretary General at EE-ISAC, Anjos Nijk, Managing Director at ENCS and Dimitra Liveri, Head of Resilience of Critical Sectors Unit at ENISA welcomed the participants, followed by Rémy Garaude-Verdier, European Affairs Director at Enedis and E.DSO Board member/Chair of its Technology & Knowledge Sharing Committee, who emphasized the urgent need for collective action to secure Europe’s digital and interconnected electricity grids: “Keep one idea in mind: if the grid is a nervous system, our routines are its reflexes”.
Discussions focused on translating regulation into real-world protection. A live demonstration by ENCS exposed how security gaps in common consumer-energy technologies – including EV chargers, PV inverters and home batteries – could be exploited to disrupt power systems. Experts agreed that as these devices scale to hundreds of gigawatts of controllable capacity by 2030, cybersecurity must be integrated from design to deployment.
Threat of cybersecurity
Representing the European Commission, Fabrice Comptour, Cyber Defense Coordinator at DG CONNECT, highlighted that Europe’s clean-energy transition brings new vulnerabilities alongside new opportunities. He stressed that: “Cybersecurity is not only a box to tick or a program, but a mindset or even a mission”.
Veli-Pekka Saajo, Deputy Director General at Energiavirasto; Vice President at CEER, continued saying: “The threat of cybersecurity is complex, and it is challenging energy markets, national politics and different sectors, so there is a need to break the silos to become more effective”.
Risk management and response
Two panel sessions examined how Europe can harmonize standards, improve information sharing and strengthen coordination between operators, regulators and suppliers. Speakers from the European Commission, World Bank, ENISA, CEN/CENELEC, SolarPower Europe and EASE underlined the need for a common approach to risk management and response.
Michaela Kollau, Policy Officer at DG Energy, closed the 8th Cybersecurity Forum with a key message: “The resilience of European energy grids depends on a shared commitment to implement current legislation and best practices in cybersecurity in energy”.
