The European Union, in a statement delivered on 20 July 2026 at the first substantive session of the UN Global Mechanism on ICTs in international security, called for transparent and inclusive stakeholder participation and outlined its vision for the work of the two informal Discussion Topic Groups (DTGs). The statement, published by the EEAS on 21 July 2026, was delivered on behalf of the EU and its member states, with several candidate countries and Norway aligning themselves.
The EU expressed strong regret that 43 of the 70 entities that applied for accreditation were objected to, calling the process lacking in transparency, predictability and consistency with the consensus OEWG report. It cited the objection to the EU Institute for Security Studies as an example of a stakeholder with significant relevance to the work. The EU urged the Chair and co-facilitators to bring relevant stakeholders into discussions to support states in understanding the cyber threat landscape and implementing the UN framework.
On the work of the DTGs, the EU welcomed the Chair's paper and the appointment of co-facilitators. It encouraged the development of programmes of work aligned with guidance from this week's plenary, and suggested that topics for DTG1 and DTG2 be synchronised for complementary discussions. The EU supported expert briefings, hybrid participation to enable smaller delegations to engage, and proposed that co-facilitators update the Plenary verbally on DTG discussions, with written outcomes transmitted only when agreed by states in the spirit of consensus.
The EU emphasised that the agendas of the Plenary, DTGs and Global Roundtable on cyber capacity building are complementary, with this week's discussions guiding the DTGs in December 2026, and actionable recommendations to be considered in the 2027 Plenary. It reiterated its commitment to contribute through best practices, capacity building projects and simulation exercises to ensure the Global Mechanism delivers tangible results for global cybersecurity.