The Ministry of Energy has undertaken the creation of the first Sectoral Cyber ​​Security Incident Response Center – this CRISCE, as it will be called, will be born within the Ministry of Energy, will include specialists who will work in shifts, highly paid people and who will have the mission to defend the entire Romanian energy sector from cyber-attacks, said Sebastian Burduja, the Minister of Energy, during the Energy Cyber ​​Security Forum, Financial Intelligence reads.

Sebastian Burduja sent a video message: “I am on my way to Baku, where I have the honor to represent Romania in the world’s journey towards a safe, competitive and green energy transition (no. COP29).

It is already a tradition to be in Cluj, at the Cyber ​​Security Forum, a vital topic for the future of Romanian energy. I want to congratulate the DEER team and general manager Mihaela Suciu from the very beginning. You are not only exceptional hosts, but you are visionaries who have decided to put this topic of energy security in energy on the table of decision-makers and on the table of public opinion and civil society as a topic for debate.

Know that since last year we have not been idle, we have made progress on several related topics. The most important of them being the assumption of the first Sectoral Cyber ​​Security Incident Response Center. This CRISCE, as it will be called, will be born within the Ministry of Energy, will include specialists who will work in shifts, highly paid people and whose mission will be to defend the entire Romanian energy sector from cyber-attacks.

We are already in interministerial approval with this draft emergency ordinance, and I am convinced that in the immediate future we can adopt it and set an example for other ministries and sectors.

Moreover, we only have to do what is already provided for in the legislation on cyber security that we managed to initiate when I was minister for Research, Innovation and Digitization, legislation that is modern, is among the best in the European Union and where, certainly, the energy sector plays a central role.

Please rely on us, let’s move forward and make sure that the Romanian energy sector is protected against any threats, including those of cyber security”.

In October, the Ministry of Energy announced the submission to public consultation of the draft Emergency Ordinance on the establishment and operationalization of the Cyber ​​Security Incident Response Center in Energy (CRISCE), which brings a necessary and urgent solution to protect the critical infrastructure in the energy field national. This is the first sectorial CSIRT team in Romania, an approach imposed by the NIS2 Directive, which will manage cyber security in this vulnerable sector. The draft normative act also implements the provisions of the new Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1366 on the security of cross-border electricity flows. The expenses for the implementation and operation of CRISCE will be fully covered by the revenues from the Modernization Fund, without affecting the state budget. Through this structure we defend all the cyber infrastructures of the beneficiaries of the projects financed by the Modernization Fund.

CRISE will be composed of 34 top cyber security specialists, recruited following a rigorous selection procedure, with an external committee consisting of specialists from public authorities and institutions with attributions in the field of cyber security. They will be remunerated at the level of the private market in the cyber sector and their activity will be evaluated every 12 months.