From 4 to 6 June 2025, the Council of Europe is bringing together over 500 leading cybercrime experts from around the world in Strasbourg to address current challenges, review the global landscape of cybercrime legislation, exchange knowledge, sharpen tools and reinforce partnerships and international co-operation.
Strengthening cyber and democratic security
"Cybercrime targets election systems, disrupts critical infrastructure, and spreads disinformation. It is time to rethink a security architecture that treats cybercrime as a mere technical issue. This is no longer a matter of soft or hard security. It is about our ability to defend democracy against fast-moving, cross-border, hybrid threats - while staying true to our values. What we call democratic security," said Secretary General Alain Berset at the opening of the conference.
Mr Berset also stressed that "the strength of the Budapest Convention framework lies not only in its legal tools, but also in the global community it has built" and called on all Parties to carry out the legal reforms needed to implement and ratify the Second Additional Protocol on enhanced co-operation and disclosure of electronic evidence.
"The digital realm must remain open, free and secure for all. Cybercrime is a central challenge for everyone. It requires dynamic, cohesive and forward-looking responses. In Ukraine, cybercrime has become a weapon of war. These threats are real and global, requiring urgent, united action," said Maltese Minister of Justice Jonathan Attard. "Effective cybersecurity also depends on the engagement of all society sectors, especially the youth who are the innovators of today," he added.
On the agenda
Artificial intelligence, cybercrime and e-evidence, cyber-interference with democracy, online fraud (pig-butchering), as well as the links between the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention) and the new United Nations Convention Against Cybercrime ("Hanoi Convention") will be discussed.
In addition, a series of workshops will explore key topics such as crypto-investigations, e-evidence sharing, cybercrime as war crime, cyberviolence, youth and cybercrime. In addition, regional workshops will be dedicated to Africa, the Americas, and the Asia/Pacific regions.
Speakers also include representatives from various Council of Europe bodies, other organisations (European Union, Interpol, OSCE, UNODC), the United States Department of Justice, as well as from the private sector, civil society and criminal justice authorities from across the world.
A series of sessions can be followed online on the conference website.
The conference is organised in co-operation with the Maltese Presidency of the Committee of Ministers.
Malta ratifies Additional Protocol to the Convention on Cybercrime
On this occasion, Minister Attard also deposited the instrument of ratification by Malta of the Additional Protocol to the Convention on Cybercrime, concerning the criminalisation of acts of a racist and xenophobic nature committed through computer systems.
Cybercrime: The Council of Europe's response
The conference stands as one of the largest and most comprehensive platforms for dialogue and exchange in the field of cybercrime. Since 2007, it has regularly brought together experts from over 100 countries, alongside representatives from international organisations, the private sector, civil society and academia.
The conference is part of the Octopus Project, which is currently funded by voluntary contributions.
The work of the Council of Europe is supported by the Cybercrime Programme Office (C-PROC), which plays a crucial role in helping countries worldwide enhance their criminal justice capacity to address the challenges of cybercrime and electronic evidence, on the basis of the standards set by the Convention on Cybercrime and its First and Second Additional Protocols. C-PROC has supported around 2 400 activities benefitting over 140 countries since 2014 (see annual report).
