On the occasion of the annual Octopus Conference which sheds light on developments and initiatives tackling cybercrime and the challenges posed by electronic evidence,  the Cybercrime Programme Office of the Council of Europe together with representatives from beneficiary countries - Algeria, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia, met for the Closing Event of the CyberSouth project.

As the implementation of CyberSouth came to an end in December 2023, it marked the occasion to evaluate progress made through the activities undertaken during the project. Stakeholders highlighted the flexibility allowed within the regional approach, which enabled to tailor national activities based on countries’ priorities, as a strength of this project, along with the effective network-building across the Southern Neighbourhood and other regions.

It was also the opportunity to meet with other project teams operating in the region, such as the team of the EU-funded regional project MOMENTUM MENA, to exchange on good practices and reflect on the way forward as the new phase, CyberSouth+, is starting in January 2024.