E-Voicer: Cybersecurity and digital resilience are key according to citizens’ ideas on Europe’s security

Europe’s security and the resilience of our societies are challenged daily. Escalating global threats and malign influences demand an urgent response and preparation to ensure a secure and strong European future.

The role of citizens is undergoing a profound evolution. As our world becomes increasingly interconnected, individuals are experiencing a remarkable shift in power and responsibility. Citizens are now at the forefront of shaping our shared future, acting beyond geographical and political boundaries to address challenges that affect everyone. While governments, the EU, and NATO are all working to make Europe more secure and to protect and prepare societies to deal with malign attacks and cyber security, their success hinges on citizen involvement and buy-in.

In this context, GLOBSEC, a pan-European think tank, organised a citizen consultation aimed to amplify citizens’ voices on how Europe can better prepare for and respond to emerging security challenges. 

From 3 September to 15 October 2025, European citizens were invited to answer the question "How could we all together strengthen our security and resilience to face urgent global threats?" by proposing their ideas and voting on those of others. This online consultation gathered 1,418 votes and 79 proposals on the Make.org platform. The results and key learnings from this initiative are outlined below.

Key takeaways

• Participants view security and defence holistically, submitting proposals across seven broad topics and sixteen concrete ideas - from cybersecurity and European defence to democratic resilience and economic security.
• Cybersecurity and digital resilience emerged as the largest and most discussed dimension, with calls for stronger cyber and defence capabilities, secure and transparent digital infrastructure, centralised governance, and measures to counter disinformation through regulation and education.
• Risk awareness and crisis preparedness ranked second, reflecting participants’ strong desire for proactive planning, preparation for emergencies, and realistic assessment of global threats.
• Participants expressed strong support for European unity, calling for deeper political and defence integration, while also emphasising the need to uphold democratic values.
• The importance of societal resilience and economic security also emerged, with calls for stronger support systems, increased investment in education, and protection of strategic sectors.

Main topics of the consultation

Overview of the results

‍Methodology - The analysis used a qualitative, theme-based approach to identify key topics from citizens’ proposals. Within each topic, proposals were grouped and synthesised into clear, action-oriented ideas that capture the consultation’s main themes and priorities.

👉 Read the full report

The results and citizens’ ideas from the E-Voicer project will be shared with policymakers, strategists, and analysts to help shape future security and resilience policies that benefit us all. They will also be used and integrated into the StrongerTogether initiative that was announced at the Paris Peace Forum and will be launched in early 2026.

‍👉 About the StrongerTogether initiative: https://about.make.org/articles-en/strongertogether-an-unprecedented-european-citizen-consultation-on-defence-resilience-announced-at-the-paris-peace-forum