The Danish government has relaunched the National Cyber Security Council (NCSC) as part of its mission to strengthen the country’s digital security across all critical sectors of the economy and society.
The NCSC’s enhanced mandate is aimed at improving its role as a key adviser to the government on technological developments and cybersecurity policy. It will focus on new strategies to bolster digital security, facilitating data sharing between public authorities, research institutions, and the business sector.
The relaunch coincides with two other major state initiatives: the government’s €100m digitisation strategy for 2024–2025 and the Agency for Digital Government’s (ADG) Artificial Intelligence Guideline (AIG) project. The AIG project expands opportunities for local authorities, companies, and citizens to work with generative AI (GenAI).
The NCSC, now supported by a 19-member Advisory Group serving until 2027, will lead initiatives to enhance Denmark’s digital security. It will bring together experts from Denmark’s top corporations, universities, and government agencies, including TDC, Novo Nordisk, Aalborg University, and Deloitte Denmark. The council’s key objective is to foster collaboration between public organizations and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the digital and cybersecurity fields.
Originally established in 2019 to address the growing threat of cyberattacks, the NCSC’s new charter strengthens its role in coordinating public-private partnerships to protect Denmark’s critical infrastructure. The council will work closely with the ADG and the Danish Center for Cyber Security (CCS) to unify cybersecurity efforts across the nation.
Denmark’s Digitalisation Minister, Marie Bjerre, emphasized the importance of the relaunch in elevating national cybersecurity. “The reinforced Cyber Security Council will help businesses benefit from enhanced digital security, ensuring that digitalisation serves us securely as a country,” she said.
The need for stronger cybersecurity in Denmark is further driven by political uncertainties in the Baltic region, heightened after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen stressed the urgency of national-level cyber defense.
The NCSC’s relaunch is complemented by the ADG’s generative AI roadmap, introduced in June 2024. The roadmap provides tools for public authorities, private companies, and citizens to integrate AI into their work while adhering to regulatory standards, including the EU’s AI Act. This initiative, supported by the Danish Data Protection Agency, offers a regulatory sandbox where organizations can safely test AI technologies under GDPR compliance guidelines.
The government’s broader digitisation strategy, outlined in the National Strategy for Digitalisation (NSD), allocates €100m for investments in AI and digital transformation across sectors, with €9m specifically earmarked for AI development initiatives. This strategy includes support for AI innovation, digital education, and the advancement of digital skills in Denmark’s workforce.
These initiatives position Denmark to enhance its digital security while fostering innovation in AI, ensuring that businesses and public authorities can operate securely in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
