Eduardo González
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will pay almost five million euros to the company EPICOM for the purchase of encryption equipment to protect the Department’s computer systems that handle classified information.
According to what was published this Wednesday in the Official State Gazette (BOE), the Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, Xavier Martí Martí, signed an agreement with EPICOM on November 22 in Madrid for the supply of this equipment, with which he will try to ensure that the confidential information handled by José Manuel Albares’ Department is as protected as possible.
The procedure was adopted without publicity in application of article 50 of Royal Decree-Law 36/2020, of December 30, which approves urgent measures for the modernization of the Public Administration and for the execution of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.
To this end, an agreement has been signed with EPICOM, a company owned by the Sociedad Estatal de Participaciones Industriales (SEPI), Indra and Grupo Oesía, which acts as the sole supplier for reasons of protection of exclusive rights and which has the approval of the director of the National Cryptologic Centre, as Cryptologic Certification Authority, by virtue of the powers conferred by the Royal Decree of 2004 regulating this centre.
The amount that EPICOM will receive for the supply of this equipment is 4,924,687.80 euros. The programme is financed with European Union funds, the Ministry specified.
