Cybersecurity Readiness in the Euro-Mediterranean: A Comparative Review of Literature on National Strategies and Global Indices
Purpose:
The article presents a comparison of national cybersecurity strategies and global indices in 12 Euro-Mediterranean countries to determine the extent to which they align with international standards and the presence of any map readiness disparities. A harmonised regional agenda to strengthen collective resilience is proposed.
Design/Methods/Approach:
The article presents a comparative literature review of national strategies, the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) and the Cybersecurity Capacity Maturity Model (CMM). Equal weight is given to the ITU-GCI pillars and CMM indicators, while the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) and national reports provide the qualitative context.
Findings:
European Union (EU) member states show mature legal, organisational and capacity measures, while several non-European Union (non-EU) Mediterranean states encounter fragmented laws and resource gaps. Common patterns include institutionalised Computer Emergency Response Team/Computer Security Incident Response Team (CERT/SCIRT) functions and a convergence on international frameworks, yet actionable gaps persist in enforcement and crossborder coordination.
Research Limitations / Implications:
The findings are limited by the asynchronous index updates and the countries’ varying national cybersecurity strategy (NCSS) formats. Future work could track implementation metrics and refresh comparative baselines as new index data emerge.
Practical Implications:
Priority must be given to legal interoperability, baseline incident reporting, and shared regional exercises to minimise weakest-link risk in interconnected infrastructures.
Originality/Value:
The first structured comparison of Euro-Mediterranean cybersecurity readiness to integrate global indices with NCSS analysis.
UDC: 351.78:004.056.53
Keywords: cybersecurity, global cybersecurity index, national cybersecurity strategies, capacity building, regional governance, Euro-Mediterranean