Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos Visits WB3C

26.03.2026

Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos visited the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C) in Podgorica today, as part of her official visit to Montenegro.
During her visit, she met with high-level representatives of WB3C’s founding partners, including Her Excellency Anne-Marie Maskay, French Ambassador to Montenegro, Her Excellency bernarda gradišnik, Slovenian Ambassador to Montenegro and His Excellency Ivan Leković, Ambassador, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro, as well as the leadership of the Centre — Naim M. GJOKAJ, Deputy Director General Elect and Gilles Schwoerer Programme Director.
Commissioner Kos was accompanied by members of her delegation, including Adele Marsullo and Andreas Gahleitner, both members of her Cabinet, Heinke Veit, Deputy Head of Unit B4, DG ENEST and His Excellency Johann Sattler, Ambassador of the European Union to Montenegro.
The discussion focused on WB3C’s role in strengthening regional resilience against cyber and hybrid threats, and its contribution to the objectives of the Berlin Process and the EU accession pathway. Commissioner Kos expressed interest in how the Centre translates EU cyber priorities into operational capacity across the Western Balkans and stressed the importance of the WB3C role in supporting countries of the region in building both cyber and democratic resilience, and that EU is willing to support WB3C in this process.
With its newly formalised status as an international organisation, WB3C is further consolidating its role as a trusted regional platform, capable of scaling its support to partners across the Western Balkans and aligning its programmes more closely with European Union priorities and standards.

The visit follows the recent approval of a €3.5 million EU grant, which will support the expansion of WB3C’s core programming across cybersecurity, cybercrime and cyber diplomacy, while introducing additional focus areas such as the protection of critical infrastructure and countering disinformation and foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI).

During the visit, Commissioner Kos toured the WB3C facilities and tools-based classrooms providing a first-hand view of the Centre’s practice-oriented approach and its engagement with professionals from across the region.

Other news and events

Upcoming

Regional Conference on Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference and Disinformation

This regional conference intended for governments, media and civil society brings diverse perspectives on the growing hybrid threats of fake news, disinformation, manipulative and malign narratives that have the power to undermine democratic processes, trust in media and institutions and overal societal resilience and cohesion. Understanding, detecting, preventing, responding, debunking, investigating and prosecuting such manipulations will be the task of our panels, case studies and interactive exercises aimed at supporting governemnts and societies to tackle this challenge. The conference will feature 30 prominent speakers from the EU and the WB region from various departments, sectors and industries.

CTI for Critical Infrastructure Training Completed

Last week at WB3C, we wrapped up a four-day training on Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) focused on the energy sector and government infrastructure, led by Ljuban Petrovic.

Working with SOC, CSIRT and CERT teams from across the region, the training reinforced a simple point: CTI only matters when it informs decisions. When it helps prioritise. When it changes how teams prepare and respond.
The sectoral focus proved its value. Energy infrastructure comes with its own risk landscape, and the discussions reflected that reality—specific, operational, and directly relevant.

We are continuing this work in September, building on what started here.
Because strengthening resilience is not a one-off effort. It is something that develops over time, through practice, exchange, and trust.

What is Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) — and why does it matter?

Simply put, CTI is about turning information into insight, before a threat happens.

Not just collecting data on threats, but understanding who is behind them, how they operate, and what that means for your own systems.
Without that understanding, cybersecurity remains reactive. With it, organisations can anticipate, prioritise and respond with purpose.

Next week at WB3C, we will be running a four-day regional training on Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI).
The training is designed for SOC, CSIRT and CERT teams, as well as IT professionals working within critical entities—specifically the energy sector. The choice is deliberate.

We are taking a sectoral approach to cybersecurity capacity building. Because threats are not abstract—they target specific systems, infrastructures and vulnerabilities. And the energy sector, as a backbone of economic and societal stability, requires tailored, operationally relevant skills that reflect its real risk landscape.
Over four days, participants will cover:
💡 understanding CTI in the context of critical infrastructure
💡 analysing threats and assessing their impact
💡 translating intelligence into actionable outputs

All week, we will be working closely with cybersecurity professionals from across the region’s energy sector—moving from concepts to application, and building capabilities that can directly support operational decision-making.
This is where CTI becomes operational. Protecting our energy infrastructure means protecting our economy, our security and our livelihood.

Image: Patrick https://lnkd.in/diYnZEgB