At the beginning of the discussion, Professor Georgi Manolov, Doctor of Political Sciences, emphasized the need for a thorough analysis of the 2014 Cybersecurity Law and, if necessary, the development of a new one.
With the support of the Council of Rectors, the Higher School of Security and Economics – HSSE (ВУСИ), together with the Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, organized a national roundtable discussion on “Cybersecurity in the Protection of Individuals, Education, and Society”. The scientific forum took place on June 19, 2025, in Sofia.
Official guests of the event included Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadzhov, Deputy Minister of the Interior Lyubomir Yosifov, Advisor to the President of Bulgaria on Security and Defense Stefan Godzhevergov, representatives of the legislative and judicial branches, the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, rectors and faculty of higher education institutions, and business experts.
President Rumen Radev and representatives of various agencies and organizations sent congratulatory addresses and best wishes for success to the conference organizers and participants.
Georgi Manolov, President of the Higher School of Security and Economics – HSSE (ВУСИ), Doctor of Political Sciences, opened the forum and noted that Bulgarian government agencies have finally taken on this important issue and begun working on it.
“At its May meeting, the Board of the Council of Rectors unanimously supported the idea of jointly organizing this forum”, said Miglena Temelkova, Chair of the Council of Rectors, in her welcoming address.
“I hope this will be only the beginning of a long and fruitful dialogue on addressing the challenges and problems in this activity”.
The Rector of the Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Professor, Doctor of Sciences Ivan Vidolov noted that the idea for the forum stemmed from the need to discuss and find solutions in the field of cybersecurity.
“This problem has many facets. It's crucial to discuss it in the context of education, as universities have begun offering a variety of programs across various specialties and educational qualification levels. In this area, we can't compete; we must collaborate—cybersecurity is everywhere, as the modern world is becoming digital”.
In his welcoming address on behalf of the Higher School of Security and Economics – HSSE (ВУСИ), Rector Prof. Yordan Bakalov Ph.D. emphasized the importance of this forum in two areas. One concerns the development of cybersecurity in higher education in Bulgaria, and beyond, as modern countries are developing cybersecurity from the ground up. He explained that this is a constantly evolving area related to our personal data, banking operations, and critical infrastructure for our national security.
“The second area is the Bulgarian people”, emphasized Prof. Bakalov Ph.D. “We see self-proclaimed cybersecurity experts. They exploit people's ignorance and profit from it. We need to work on this, because security is a dynamic concept”.
“Society is striving for security”, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadzhov told participants of a national roundtable. “A significant part of our lives is becoming virtual. Cybersecurity needs to be taught from an early age”.
He noted that the role of universities is to train specialists who can protect users online.
“I hope our education system will respond, teenagers will gain more knowledge, and more specialists will become interested in this profession, so that ordinary users will feel safer online”.
The keynote address was given by Ivan Blagoev Ph.D. of the Institute of Information and Communication Technologies of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, entitled "Current Issues of Cybersecurity in the Republic of Bulgaria."
At the beginning of the ensuing discussion, Professor Georgi Manolov, Doctor of Political Sciences, emphasized the need for a thorough analysis of the 2014 Cybersecurity Law and, if necessary, the development of a new one.
“It is important to develop an adequate and realistic strategy for the development of cybersecurity in Bulgaria, and we also need to consider a registry of cyber specialists”, he emphasized, calling for the creation of a consortium of Bulgarian universities offering training in cybersecurity.
The great interest in the scientific discussion at the forum is evidenced by more than 20 presentations by representatives of: Parliament (the People's Assembly); the Presidential Administration; the Ministry of Transport and Communications; the Ministry of Internal Affairs; the Ministry of Defence; the Ministry of Education and Science; the Chief Directorate for Combating Organised Crime; the State Agency for National Security; the Bulgarian National Bank; the National Investigation Service; the Commission for Communications Regulation; the Military Academy “G. S. Rakovski”; the Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs; the University of National and World Economy; Sts. Cyril and Methodius University of Veliko Tarnovo; the New Bulgarian University; the Higher School of Telecommunications and Posts; the Technical University of Sofia; the Bishop Constantine of Preslav University of Shumen; the Forestry Technical University; the Plovdiv University “Paisius Hilendarski”; the University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy; three medical universities in Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna; the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences; the Higher School of Civil Engineering “Lyuben Karavelov”; Todor Kableshkov Higher School of Transport; National Academy of Arts; National Academy of Music Professor Pancho Vladigerov; Vasil Levski National Sports Academy; Higher School of Management; VUARR; Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association (BICA); Bulgarian Industrial Association (BIA), Confederation of Employers and Industrialists of Bulgaria, National Association of Entities Engaged in Private Security Activities (НАЛСИЧОД), Bulgarian National Industry Chamber “Securities and Detectives” (БНБКОД), ASKO, ALFA-SECURITY and others.
In conclusion, the national roundtable participants expressed their willingness to meet again on this topic in a year to summarize the results achieved and set new goals for developing cybersecurity to protect people, education, and society.
Source: https://www.vusi.bg/nauchen-forum-za-kibersigurnostta