In recent years, cybersecurity has become one of the central issues in international relations, not only as a technical challenge but also as a matter of national security, diplomacy, and democratic stability. Globally, the main challenges include protecting critical infrastructure, preventing state sponsored or other types of cyber attacks, and ensuring resilience against hybrid threats. For small and resource-limited states, these risks are amplified by limited technical capacity, lack of consistent legislation and dependence on external technologies and expertise. This paper argues that cybersecurity for North Macedonia cannot be understood in purely technical terms. It is closely tied to democratic governance, regional stability, and the country’s commitment to become full-fledged EU member country. Addressing these challenges requires a comprehensive approach: raising cyber awareness on national level, investments in cyber security, alignment with EU/NATO cybersecurity legal framework, cooperation with NATO and EU structures and participation in regional initiatives in the Western Balkans. North Macedonia has no alternative but to place cybersecurity at the top of its national agenda — both as a matter of safeguarding its sovereignty and critical infrastructure and as a prerequisite for positioning itself as an active and effective participant in the global digital order.
Katerina Buchkovska (Wed,) studied this question.