As Vice-President of the European Commission, Margaritis Schinas is in charge of the Security Union – Schinas also coordinates the European Commission’s work tackling terrorism and radicalisation, disrupting organised crime and cybercrime.

As war breaks out on the doorstep of the European Union, cyber security becomes more important than ever. “​​The principles on which we built our security architecture and which we considered inviolable are being trampled upon by a cynical and ruthless attack that strikes indiscriminately at military and civilians,” says Schinas.

In addition to this territorial invasion of mortar fire and bombing, comes the more insidious but still highly destructive threat of a cyber invasion. But what exactly do those threats look like? How might they manifest? And what can be done to protect the EU from them?

In the wake of recent cybersecurity breaches in the Ukraine and Europe, learn more about the role of the EU in combatting cyber attacks, terrorism and organised crime.

Margaritis Schinas took office as Vice-President of the European Commission under President Ursula Von Der Leyen in December 2019. He is entrusted with the portfolio for Promoting our European Way of Life. In this capacity, he oversees the EU’s policies for Security Union, migration, skills, education and integration. As Vice-President in charge of the Security Union, he oversees and coordinates all strands of the European Commission’s work under the Security Union, including tackling terrorism and radicalisation, disrupting organised crime, fighting cybercrime, stepping up cybersecurity, protecting critical infrastructures or addressing hybrid threats.

Mr Schinas has also served as a Member of the European Parliament. Upon the completion of his parliamentary term of office, he returned to the European Commission and held various senior positions. In particular, in 2010, President Barroso appointed Mr Schinas as Deputy Head of the Bureau of European Policy Advisers. Later he served as Resident Director and Head of the Athens Office of the European Commission’s Directorate‑General for Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN). In 2014, President Juncker appointed Mr Schinas as the Chief European Commission Spokesperson. Mr Schinas has been working for the European Commission in various positions of responsibility since 1990.

Margaritis Schinas holds an MSc on Public Administration and Public Policy from the London School of Economics, a Diploma of Advanced European Studies on European Administrative Studies from the College of Europe in Bruges and a Degree in Law from the Aristotelean University of Thessaloniki.

Paul Adamson is chairman of Forum Europe and Forum Global and founder of Encompass an online magazine and discussion space dedicated to covering the European Union and the UK’s place in the world. He is also the chairman of the EU-UK Forum and a member of the Independent Commission on UK-EU Relations..

Paul is a member of the Centre for European Reform’s advisory board and Rand Europe’s Council of Advisors. He is also a Visiting Professor at the Policy Institute, King’s College London, a Senior Adviser at the Atlantic Council’s Europe Center and a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Britain and Europe at the University of Surrey. He is a patron of the University Association of Contemporary European Studies (UACES) and a Fellow of the UK Academy of Social Sciences.

In 2012, Paul was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) “for services to promoting understanding of the European Union” and in 2016 he was made a Chevalier in the Ordre national du Mérite by the French government.