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The 2nd Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Week in Europe and the 10th Critical Infrastructure Protection & Resilience Europe (CIPRE) conference concluded successfully in Brindisi, Italy, after three days of high-level discussions, collaboration, and innovation in securing Europe’s critical infrastructure.
Held from 14–16 October 2025, the joint event brought together senior policymakers, industry leaders, security professionals, and researchers from across Europe and beyond to accelerate collective resilience efforts and share strategies to address emerging threats to vital systems and services.

Organised under the theme “Resilience through Innovation & Collaboration,” the programme featured more than 50 international expert speakers focus on hot topic discussions, with live technical demonstrations, an industry exhibition, and policy roundtables focusing on the implementation of the EU Directives on Critical Entities Resilience (CER) and NIS2, cyber-physical risk management, maritime and energy resilience, supply-chain security, and climate adaptation for infrastructure.

The event was hosted by the City of Brindisi with support from CIP Week organisers, the International Association of Critical Infrastructure Protection Professionals (IACIPP) secretariat, and The International Emergency Management Society (TIEMS), in cooperation with European institutions, national agencies, and private-sector stakeholders.

A Milestone for European Critical Infrastructure Resilience
The 10th anniversary of CIPRE marked a decade of progress in building a shared European approach to protecting critical assets in energy, transport, communications, health, and digital sectors. The concurrent 2nd CIP Week in Europe strengthened awareness, training, and policy coordination among Member States.

Key Outcomes
Delegates highlighted several strategic outcomes and next steps for the resilience community:
• Cross-sectoral action: Agreement to accelerate national implementation of the CER and NIS2 Directives and to deepen public-private information sharing.
• Elevation of emerging risks: Recognition of AI/OT convergence, drone and UAS threats, supply-chain vulnerabilities, climate-driven hazards, and hybrid (cyber + physical) attack vectors.
• Operational collaboration: Launch of working groups to develop interoperable approaches for cyber-physical incident response and supply-chain resilience.
• Innovation pipeline: Demonstrations of operationally viable solutions for OT/ICS protection, resilient communications, and maritime safety, identified for follow-up pilots.

Strategic Significance and Future Outlook
As Europe faces intensifying hybrid and cyber threats, climate disruptions, and rapid technological change, the Brindisi conference outcomes serve as a catalyst for next-phase action, including:
• Accelerated rollout of CER- and NIS2-compliant frameworks across Member States;
• Expanded cross-border risk-assessment and resilience-planning partnerships; and
• Increased investment in cyber-physical protection, supply-chain resilience, and infrastructure adaptation.

Conference Chairman John Donlon added, “We are extremely grateful to all the people and organisations who have supported us and shared their knowledge, expertise, and enthusiasm. In particular, we thank the Mayor of Brindisi, Giuseppe Marchionna, and his team for hosting us in this fantastic city. We heard many insightful presentations by distinguished specialists and held great discussions on the pressing issues affecting international infrastructure and information communities. CIPRE remains the best place for the industry to meet, network, and share experiences.”