Regional Conference on Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference and Disinformation

06.05.2026

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Regional Conference on Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) and Disinformation

REGIONAL CONFERENCE ON FIMI AND DISINFORMATION

📅 6–7 May 2026
📍 Science and Technology Park, Podgorica (Day 1: Conference Hall Unicorn, II floor; Day 2: MVP Conference Room, II floor)

Held under the Chatham House Rule, the conference explores how governments and societies can anticipate (prebunk), prevent, and respond (debunk) to malign information operations. Filming and recording is allowed only in the opening session. The preparation of this conference is supported by the Atlantic Council of Montenegro.

Conference programme:

DAY 1 – Wednesday, 6 May 2026

🕘 09:00 – 09:30 | OPENING REMARKS

Objectives, Chatham House Rule, Expected Outcomes

Conference host: Ms. Vanja Madzgalj, Senior Project Manager, WB3C

Speakers:

Mr. Gilles Schwoerer, WB3C
Mr. Filip Ivanović, PhD, Deputy Prime Minister for Foreign and European Affairs, Government of Montenegro
Mr. Emanuele Giaufret, Deputy Managing Director - Western Europe, European External Action Service (EEAS)
Mr Cosmin Dobran, Director for Peace, Partnerships and Crisis Management, European External Action Service (EEAS)

🕤 09:30 – 10:15 | KEYNOTE ADDRESS

FIMI as a National Security and Governance Challenge

How foreign influence exploits governance gaps — a historical reflection and how states respond without undermining freedoms.

Speaker: Mr. David Colon, PhD, Associate Professor, Sciences Po, France

🕥 10:15 – 11:15 | CASE STUDY

Anatomy of Disinformation Operations: Case Study and Lessons Learned

From storyline to impact: mapping actors, vectors, and decision-making pressure points.

Speaker: Mr. Ronan Mouchoux, Co-founder and CTO, XRATOR, France

☕ 11:15 – 11:45 | NETWORKING BREAK

🕦 11:45 – 12:30 | PANEL 1

How FIMI Operations Actually Work

What distinguishes organic debate from coordinated manipulation? Evidence thresholds: what is enough to act as a government? How can early detection enable prebunking of emerging narratives before they take hold?

Speakers:

Ms. Lejla Turčilo, PhD, Full Professor at the Faculty of Political Science, University of Sarajevo
Mr. Miroslav Sazdovski, Senior Analyst, European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats
Mr. Filip Stojanovski, Metamorphosis Foundation

Moderator: Mr. Marko Banović, Digital Forensic Centre, Montenegro

🕧 12:30 – 13:15 | CASE STUDY

Disrupting a Covert Influence Operation: The REST Media / Rybar Case

A deep dive into a Russian state-affiliated influence operation, examining tactics, attribution, and links to the Western Balkans. The session will also explore how such networks can be exposed and disrupted, including legal and operational approaches to tackling FIMI infrastructure.

Speaker: Mr. Jakub Kubś, PhD, Researcher at GLOBSEC

🍽 13:15 – 14:15 | LUNCH BREAK

🕑 14:15 – 15:00 | PANEL 2

Election Integrity: Building Resilience

A whole-of-society approach to countering FIMI — institutions, platforms, media, and rapid response protocols for the final mile including prebunking of electoral manipulation narratives.

Speakers:

Ms. Milica Kovačević, President, Centre for Democratic Transition (CDT)
Mr. Zlatko Vujović, PhD, CEO of the European Network for Election Monitoring (ENEMO)
Ms. Danijela Vojinović, Centre for Research, Transparency and Accountability (CRTA)
Ms. Madalina Voinea, EFOR, Romania

Moderator: Ms. Olivera Komar, PhD, Full Professor at the Faculty of Political Science, University of Montenegro

🕒 15:00 – 15:45 | PANEL 3

Response Options: What is Legitimate, Effective and Safe

Public communication under uncertainty, legal tools, cross-government coordination, institutional trust, media literacy

Speakers:

Ms. Radica Zeković, Director General at the Directorate for Media, Ministry of Culture and Media of Montenegro
Mr. Jetmir Rajta, Specialist at the Sector for Statistics, Modelling and Indicator Analysis, National Authority for Cybersecurity of Albania

Moderator: Mr. Draško Jabučanin, Analyst, Digital Forensic Centre, Montenegro

🕓 15:45 – 16:00 | DAY 1 CLOSING

Reflection and Family Photo

DAY 2 – Thursday, 7 May 2026

🕘 09:00 – 09:15 | MORNING BRIEFING AND OPENING REMARKS

Recap & Key Takeaways

Speaker: Ms. Sofia Badari, Programme Manager for Cybersecurity, DG ENEST

🕤 09:15 – 10:15 | PANEL 4

Safeguarding the European Path: Building Resilience in the Western Balkans

Strengthening institutions, defending public trust, and reducing vulnerabilities to foreign interference.

Speakers:

Ms. Biljana Papović, State Secretary, Ministry for European Affairs of Montenegro
Ms. Natalie Pauwels, Head of the Strategic Coordination and Communication Unit, DG ENEST
Mr. Miroslav Sazdovski, Senior Analyst, European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats
Ms. Armela Krasniqi, Chairwoman of the Audiovisual Media Authority of Albania

Moderator: Nikoleta Đukanović, PhD, Associate Professor, Faculty for Humanistic Studies, University Donja Gorica

🕤 10:15 – 10:25 | INSIGHT

Election Integrity in the Age of FIMI: Lessons from Election Observation

Speakers: Ms. Jelena Stefanović, MPA, Political and Election Expert, OSCE; Serbia

🕥 10:25 – 11:10 | PANEL 5

Judicial Response to FIMI and Disinformation
From digital evidence to prosecution of FIMI. Strengthening rule of law in the digital space.

Speakers:

Ms. Audrey Gerbaud, Deputy Prosecutor at the Paris Judicial Court, Cyber Department J3
Mr. Arben Murtezić, PhD, Legal Counsel at the Office of Vice President of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Ms. Marina Barbir, Judge at Higher Court in Belgrade
Mr. Ivan Jokić, Head of Head of the Criminal Intelligence Division at the Police Administration of Montenegro

Moderator: Ms. Ana Bukilić, Programme Manager at IDLO

☕ 11:10 – 11:40 | NETWORKING BREAK

🕦 11:40 – 12:40 | PANEL 6

Media on the Frontline of the Fight Against Disinformation

How media organisations detect, verify, respond to, and build resilience against disinformation, including AI-generated content with a focus on debunking practices and audience trust.

Speakers:

Mr. Nicolas Goinard, Journalist, Ouest-France
Mr. Marko Banović, Analyst, Digital Forensic Centre
Ms. Adelina Hasani, PhD, Head of Research at Kosovar Institute for Policy Research and Development (KIPRED)
Ms. Sunčica Bakić, Director, Agency for Audio-Visual Media Services of Montenegro

Moderator: Olivera Nikolić, Director of Montenegro Media Institute

🕧 12:40 – 14:10 | INTERACTIVE EXERCISE

War Game: Tabletop Simulation

Mixed country groups with assigned roles. Injects: manipulated video, leaked documents, coordinated hashtags, proxy media, diaspora channels, offline incidents. Participants will test both prebunking and debunking responses under time pressure.

Facilitators:

Mr. Ronan Mouchoux, Co-founder and CTO, XRATOR
Mr. Nicolas Goinard, Journalist, Ouest-France

🕑 14:10 – 14:15 | CLOSING REMARKS

Conference Wrap-up

🍽 14:15 – 15:15 | LUNCH

✈️ DEPARTURE

Speakers

Open Speakers PDF

Downloads:

FIMI-and-Disinformation-Conference-FINAL-AGENDA.pdf

Other news and events

WB3C participates in the 8th Western Balkans Digital Summit

The eighth Western Balkans Digital Summit took place on 13 and 14 October, organised by Montenegro’s Ministry of Public Administration with the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) and the European Union. It was part of Montenegro’s 2026 chairmanship of the #BerlinProcess, and the Leaders’ Summit follows on 22 October. More than 150 people from the region’s governments, EU institutions, industry and civil society attended.
Our Programme Director, Gilles Schwoerer, moderated the panel on “Cybersecurity & Building a Secure Digital Environment”. He led a discussion with people who deal with these issues every day:
◽ Samir Orahovac, former Acting Director, Agencija za sajber bezbjednost Crne Gore / Cybersecurity Agency of Montenegro
◽Denisa Kurtagic, Programme Manager Cybersecurity, DCAF - Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance
◽Dusan Banovicć, Director, Service Development & Digital Transformation, Crnogorski Telekom
◽Vojtěch H. (Hons), EU Delegation, Sarajevo
◽Mladen Bukilic Bukilić, CISO/SOC Manager, Čikom

Having a regulator, a telecom operator, a SOC team, a donor and an EU delegation at one table is useful, because each of them sees a different part of the same weak spot. Digital identity, e-services and AI all rely on networks and institutions that can withstand an attack.

The summit closed with a clear list of priorities for the region: mutual recognition of digital identities, digital identity wallets, more affordable roaming with the EU, improved connectivity and stronger cybersecurity cooperation. RCC Secretary General Amer Kapetanović said the task ahead is to connect the six economies, not only to digitalise them. It was a privilege for WB3C to moderate the cybersecurity discussion, and we look forward to the work that follows.

Hosting European journalists at WB3C: a conversation on hybrid threats in Montenegro

This week, we had the pleasure of welcoming a delegation of around 15 journalists from across the EU who came to Montenegro to better understand the hybrid threats the country is facing. The visit was supported by DG ENEST.
The group brought together reporters, editors and camera crews from L’Opinion and Le Nouvel Obs (France), Rai (Italy), Deutsche Welle (Germany), Deník N and TV Nova (Czechia), Kurier and Profil (Austria), and De Telegraaf (the Netherlands).
The programme included perspectives from two of Montenegro’s leading civil society voices invited by the EU Delegation in Montenegro, Zlatko Vujovic (CEMI) and Milica Kovačević (CDT), who shared their insights on how hybrid threats show up on the ground and what they mean for Montenegrin European perspective and upcoming general elections in 2027.
On behalf of Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C), Vanja Madzgalj MBE had the opportunity to show the journalists our facility and talk about our work, including our efforts on FIMI and disinformation. These are topics where good journalism and good cooperation matter a great deal. Our trainers for cybercrime Cyril CORRIAS and Jean-Pierre Bonnet (JP BNT) stirred particular interest in the work we do to support law enforcement and the judiciary in their fight against financial and crypto frauds, digital forensics, online and anti-drug investigations, cross-border trafficking, human smuggling, online sexual exploitation and much more.

Thank you to our colleagues from DG ENEST, Jerneja Starič and Christina Moldt, and to Zeljka Lekic-Subasic from Ecorys for the smooth organisation. And thank you to all the journalists for your time, curiosity and the important work you do.
Hybrid threats don’t stop at borders, and neither should our conversations about them.

Cyber resilience starts with people

From 12 to 14 October, WB3C is in Herceg Novi with the Regional School of Public Administration (ReSPA) for an advanced Training of Trainers on Cyber Resilience and Data Protection. In the room are public administration professionals from across the Western Balkans, plus colleagues from Armenia, Moldova and Ukraine. The training runs alongside the Western Balkans Digital Summit, and participants are taking part in both.

Today, governments run more and more of their services on connected systems and data. When those systems fail, or when data is mishandled, citizens lose trust. Technology alone doesn’t solve the risks. You need people who know what to do, institutions that have thought it through in advance, and neighbours who share what they learn. That’s the thinking behind the three days.

✅ Day 1 is about preparedness: current cyber threats, governance, cyber hygiene, incident prevention and response, business continuity and crisis management, and the legal basis for data protection in the public sector.

✅ Day 2 gets practical on data protection. We’re working through GDPR principles, Records of Processing Activities, Data Protection Impact Assessments, transparency obligations and the rights of data subjects.

✅ Day 3 looks ahead: artificial intelligence, information sharing, cooperation between institutions, and how to train others well. Each participant leaves with an institutional action plan and a realistic way to pass this knowledge on at home.
Our experts Arianit Maraj and Stella Manga Chesnay are leading the sessions, drawing on their work in cybersecurity governance, institutional resilience and data protection.
The “training of trainers” format is deliberate. What happens in this room only counts if it travels, so we’re asking every participant to take it back to their own administration and share it with colleagues. The week is also a chance for Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership colleagues to compare notes on shared problems and find ways to keep working together.
Our Programme Director, Gilles Schwoerer, put it simply: “Cyber resilience is about more than technology. It requires skilled people, prepared institutions and strong regional cooperation.”
Thank you to our partners at ReSPA, and to Bojana Bajić for opening the event, and to everyone taking part this week.