PRESS RELEASE FROM THE PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY FOR EUROPEAN FUNDS AND FROM THE OFFICE OF THE PRINCIPAL PERMANENT SECRETARY
MITA was allocated over €2 million, co-financed from the EU Digital Europe Programme and from national funds. The EU Digital Europe Programme is operated by the European Commission, intended to strengthen cybersecurity capabilities both locally and at an EU level.
This was announced during a press conference held on 29th September 2022 by the Parliamentary Secretary for European Funds Chris Bonett together with the Principal Permanent Secretary Tony Sultana, the Chief Executive Officer of MITA Emanuel Darmanin, and the Chief Executive Officer for EU Services in Malta Mandy Falzon.
Through this project, Malta will be setting up its National Cybersecurity Coordination Centre to support cybersecurity capacity building.
With the assistance of the EU Services in Malta, MITA established the aims and objectives of this project including the allocation of funds to local SMEs to support their investment in state-of-the-art cybersecurity solutions, including training to their employees.
To ensure the success of this project, five areas of priority for local SMEs have been identified. These areas focus on day-to-day challenges that businesses in Malta face every day.
The Parliamentary Secretary Chris Bonett said that through this project we will be helping these businesses in enhancing their cybersecurity posture.
In his speech, MITA’s Chairman and the Chief of the Public Service Tony Sultana, pointed out that as a result of the initiatives undertaken by MITA in the last years, MITA became a point of reference nationally on technology matters. He referred to the fact that through this investment in cybersecurity, the Agency will solidify its position in the field and further improve the services it provides to the government.
The Chief Executive Officer of MITA, Emanuel Darmanin, referred to the importance of this project and that MITA was given the responsibility of the National Cybersecurity Coordination Centre for Malta and got €2.9 million to fulfil the objectives of this Centre in the coming two years.
The Chief Executive Officer of EU Services in Malta, Mandy Falzon, explained how this project forms part of a chain of projects for which EU funds were obtained with the assistance of the Agency which helps governmental organizations, local councils, and entities like MITA to perform projects that address the different needs of different communities in our country and as a result improve the quality of life of the citizens in our country.