Establishment of National Authority for Electronic Certification and Cyber Security

Official Bulletin no.39, dated 7 March 2017

On 22.2.2017, the Council of Ministers adopted decision no.141 ”On the organization and functioning of the National Authority for Electronic Certification and Cyber Security” through which decided to establish a National Authority for Electronic Certification and Cyber Security, as a central budgetary institution, depending on the minister responsible for the field of information technology and electronic communications.

The Authority has as object of its activity the supervision and enforcement of legislation in the field of electronic signature, electronic identification of trusted services, as well as the enforcement of legislation in the field of cyber security.

Among the main duties of the Authority specified in this decision are:

• Guarantee the security of trusted services, in particular to ensure the reliability and security in electronic transactions between citizens, businesses and public authorities, thereby increasing the effectiveness of public and private services and electronic commerce;
• Set rules for electronic identification schemes, electronic seals, the transfer of trusted services duties, the electronic broadcasting service and authentication of websites;
• Set rules and methods for verifying the validity of products generated from trusted services, domestic and foreign, allowing public access to control their validity via trusted lists of EU member states and the on-line protocol of the status of certificates and certificate revocation lists;
• Establish and maintain trusted lists on a national level;
• Approve the form and content of agreements between the qualified provider of trusted service and third parties in case of service transfer;
• Supervision and control of third parties, when one or more of the trusted services duties are transferred;
• Control / monitor the implementation of standards and procedures for the issuance of qualified certificates from qualified providers of trusted service;
• Ensures conditions for free competition among qualified providers of trusted services etc.

Finally, the decision sets out the main duties of the General Director of the Authority, which are:

• Prepares analyses, reports and makes proposals for the progress of work of structures in its dependence.
• Manages and processes the annual program on the commitments of directors and defines priorities in their work.
• Reports periodically about the activities of the institution to the responsible minister.
• Proposes to the relevant area minister the undertaking of legal initiatives to complement and improve the legal framework in force.
• Takes measures for the effective management of human resources, financial resources and material resources of the institution.