Young European Security Conference 2025

Participating in the first Young European Security Conference in 2025 was a genuinely interesting experience and a major step in my international security journey. It offered a rare opportunity to engage with students and young professionals from different countries, all bringing different perspectives on how Europe should respond to modern security risks.

Technology working group

I took part in the Technology working group, where our discussions focused on how digital systems are increasingly central to both national resilience and geopolitical competition. We explored how technological dependence can create vulnerabilities, and how policy decisions can either reduce or amplify these risks.

Main topics we discussed

Some of the most relevant topics included:

• State-sponsored cyber attacks and their strategic use in international conflicts
• The legal and political difficulty of attribution in cyberspace
• The legality of cybersecurity measures, especially when defensive actions may have cross-border effects
• The challenge of balancing security, proportionality, and civil liberties

The legal side was particularly thought-provoking. Cybersecurity is often framed as purely technical, but these conversations made clear that legal frameworks and international norms are just as important as technical capability.

What I learned

The conference helped me connect technical cybersecurity knowledge with broader policy and legal thinking. It reinforced the idea that effective security work needs both perspectives: understanding how attacks work in practice, and understanding what responses are legitimate, lawful, and sustainable at the international level.

Overall, YESC 2025 gave me new insight, strong discussions, and a clearer motivation to keep building expertise at the intersection of cybersecurity and international affairs.