On 18 November 2025, the Global Governance Institute hosted a roundtable to mark the launch of the Palgrave Handbook on Cyber Diplomacy, co-edited by George Christou, Wilhelm Vosse, Joe Burton, and Joachim A. Koops. The event was held in the presence of a panel of speakers that included Manon Le Blanc, Coordinator for Cyber Issues and Deputy Head of the Hybrid and Cyber Threats Division at the European External Action Service, Andrea Calderaro, Director of Cyber Diplomacy EU CyberDirect at the European Union Institute for Security Studies (EUISS), and the book's co-editors.
George Christou (University of Warwick) and Wilhelm Vosse (International Christian University of Tokyo) kick-started the panel with a presentation of some of the core findings of the handbook, underlining how far the field has come in terms of the theory and practice of cyber diplomacy. Whilst it was a niche field less than two decades ago, we now see important diplomatic activities, initiatives and strategies at the national, global and regional levels – particularly in the field of capacity-building.
In her keynote speech, Manon Le Blanc outlined the European approach to cyber diplomacy and efforts to position the EU as a global rule-shaper in cyberspace. She outlined core policy advances, such as the creation and refinement of the Cyber Diplomacy Toolbox (CDT), a policy framework that coordinates and implements common responses to malicious cyber-attacks through preventive actions and restrictive measures under the Common Foreign and Security Policy. According to Le Blanc, the EU favours an approach that combines coordination, resilience, and capacity building, aiming not only to impose costs on attackers but also to define and promote shared rules of conduct. In this domain, the European Union positions itself at the forefront of norm-setting and values’ projection on the global arena.
Le Blanc emphasized the importance of capacity building as an integral part of the European strategy on cyber diplomacy and a primary strategic goal that strengthens internal resilience, reduces strategic dependencies, and projects European standards to third countries. This has served both as a policy and diplomatic tool to reduce third parties' reliance on authoritarian states, while building trust among partners and promoting international cooperation in cyberspace, which, due to its interconnected nature, requires stakeholders’ multi-level approaches and partnerships between states to ensure international security and stability.
Andrea Calderaro highlighted the efforts of the international community in the cyber domain and provided a historical overview from ICANN's role in the security and resilience of internet identifiers and the fight against malware, to UN initiatives such as the UN GGE (definition of rules of responsible behaviour for states) and the UN OEWG (promotion of global multilateral governance). He also stressed the importance of capacity building in third countries and collaboration between states and private stakeholders, given that internet infrastructure is often owned by private companies.
During the lively discussion, participants and attendees provided their input and views on how to leverage cyber diplomacy even more effectively as part of a comprehensive strategy with public, private, regional and global initiatives.
Overall, the event offered insightful food for thought during the discussion that followed and the subsequent reception, which provided ample opportunity for further informal exchanges and networking.