On 19 March, at Campus Cyber, policymakers and leaders from the public and private sectors gathered for the EU-LAC Digital Alliance Cybersecurity Forum 2026, a key milestone in strengthening bi-regional cooperation on cyber resilience. Held within the framework of the Global Gateway, the forum highlighted the growing importance of secure digital ecosystems as a cornerstone of sustainable development and economic integration among Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
The forum, organised by INTPA, reinforced the European Union’s commitment to a structured, institutional approach to cybersecurity in the LAC region. Cybersecurity has become a central pillar of the EU-LAC Digital Alliance, reflecting shared priorities in protecting critical infrastructure, fostering innovation, and ensuring inclusive digital transformation.
This multi-stakeholder policy dialogue strengthened EU–LAC bi-regional cooperation in cybersecurity and secure connectivity, aligning strategic priorities and promoting investment and public–private collaboration. It also served as a valuable opportunity to build political and business ties, as reflected by the 5 roundtables and 3 conferences attended by 92 participants from more than 30 countries.
Several INTPA-funded programs were represented that day, including the EU LAC Digital Accelerator and SPIDER — a program that has “mapped the political and strategic commitments made during key summits and high-level meetings across both regions”. SPIDER has also supported the full potential of the BELLA network and “the implementation of outcomes from EU-LAC digital dialogues, bringing together key research and innovation stakeholders from both regions around a shared, coordinated vision for an inclusive, human-centred, and sustainable digital transformation”.
The EU-LAC Digital Accelerator
On the third day of the forum, a team from Expertise France introduced participants to the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator, showcasing its role as a bridge to concrete partnerships focused on digital transformation. The team presented two dynamic capsules illustrating how the project supports collaboration between European and LAC corporates, startups, and SMEs in areas such as Cybersecurity and Sustainable technologies.
Highlighted accomplished partnerships included examples such as the Engage (Italy) × IDMAPS (Jamaica), in which AI-driven solutions were used to fight phishing attacks in the banking sector; and the Latina TV (Peru) × Smart Protection (Spain), where AI-based tools were built to detect and remove pirated digital content.
Building Bridges Across Ecosystems
Throughout the forum, the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator team connected with a wide range of representatives, reinforcing its role as a bridge between the two regions. Our team engaged with members of startups, institutional actors such as Export Barbados, corporate innovators like GMV or SES, and public sector representatives from Curaçao, Paraguay, and Panama — all while keeping in mind the importance of national cybersecurity strategies and regional cooperation frameworks. These exchanges are a strong reminder of why multi-stakeholder collaboration matters when tackling complex cyber threats and advancing shared digital goals.
The EU-LAC Cybersecurity Forum 2026 reaffirmed just how central cybersecurity is to the EU-LAC partnership. By aligning institutional frameworks, driving innovation through initiatives such as the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator, and maintaining open dialogue across sectors, both regions are laying solid groundwork for a more secure, resilient, and inclusive digital future.
