On April 11, 2017, the signing ceremony of the Cooperation Protocol between the National Cyber Security Incident Response Center - CERT-RO and the Romanian Civil Aeronautical Authority - AACR took place at the headquarters of the Romanian Civil Aviation Authority.
The ceremony was attended by Mr. Augustin Jianu, Minister of Communications and Information Society, Mr. Ion Trocaru, Secretary of State within the Ministry of Transport, Mr. Mihai Ionescu, Director of the Air Transport Department within the Ministry of Transport, Mr. Armand Petrescu, General Director of the Romanian Civil Aeronautical Authority, Mr. Daniel Ioniţă, from CERT-RO, as well as other representatives of AACR and CERT-RO.
The protocol is based on the principles of Romania's Cyber Security Strategy aimed at defining and maintaining a secure, resilient and reliable virtual environment. The aim is also to transpose in the field of Romanian civil aviation the provisions contained in Directive (EU) 2016/1148 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 July 2016 on measures for a high common level of security of networks and information systems in the Union.
During the ceremony, Mr. Augustin Jianu - Minister of Communications and Information Society mentioned: “I congratulate the Romanian Civil Aeronautical Authority and CERT-RO for concluding this collaboration protocol meant to contribute to increasing the resilience of IT networks in the field of civil aviation. I would also like to inform you that the Ministry of Communications and Information Society has launched a public consultation on the ministry's website to support the definition of the strategic, institutional and legal framework for transposing the Network and Information Systems Directive (NIS Directive). "
The General Director of AACR, Mr. Armand Petrescu, underlined: “AACR is the first authority in Europe to sign such a collaboration protocol with a national CERT structure. It is a pioneer in the field of civil aviation to pragmatically build a pilot project in the field of cyber security that we can then offer as a model that we can multiply at regional and European level. "
The collaboration between the two entities will facilitate the exchange of information regarding cyber security incidents or events, which may affect the computer networks of the Romanian Civil Aviation Authority and other Romanian civil aviation agents. It will also ensure the concentration of joint efforts to carry out activities in the field of cyber security, leading to the formation of a security culture of people in the area of responsibility of the two entities.
The Romanian Civil Aviation Authority and CERT-RO will collaborate in order to establish a Cyber Security Incident Response Center dedicated to the field of civil aviation with the mission to transmit information and provide assistance to air operators, maintenance organizations, airports, navigation service providers aeriana et al. in order to protect the elements of critical cyber infrastructure.
The two sides agreed to work together to prevent and eliminate cyber security incidents, which will ensure the development of aviation capabilities to manage cyber risks and threats, thus contributing to increased flight safety and aviation security.
About AACR:
The Romanian Civil Aviation Authority is the specialized technical body whose object of activity is to exercise, under the conditions provided by the Civil Aviation Code, the function of flight safety supervision in civil aviation at national level and the powers delegated by the Ministry of Transport in civil aviation security, according to the regulations in force.
About CERT-RO:
The National Cyber Security Incident Response Center - CERT-RO is a public institution with legal personality, coordinated by the Ministry of Communications and Information Society, operating as an independent structure of expertise and research and development in the field of cyber infrastructure protection.