At a reception hosted by the Association of Security Managers of Montenegro on 15 December 2025, Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C) was honored with an appreciation plaque presented by the Association’s President, Dragan Radulović, in recognition of our strong and effective cooperation in 2025. 

Sincere thanks to Dragan and to the Association for this meaningful acknowledgment. 

The reception was attended by our colleagues Gilles Schwoerer and Maja Miranovic, who have already begun working with the Association on the next major event we are developing together. While it is still early to share details, we are focused on building on this momentum and further strengthening our partnership through a major joint cyber initiative currently in preparation. 

The Association of Security Managers of Montenegro is a significant professional platform that brings together security professionals from both the public and private sectors across Montenegro (over 120 members) and contributes to strengthening professional standards, security culture and cooperation with institutions and industry. 

We look forward to continuing our close cooperation and joining forces in advancing security standards and resilience in Montenegro and the wider region.

Our second Prep Course cohort (December) led by Ljuban Petrovic just finished two intense weeks of learning, practice and assessment. These ICT students showed up with curiosity and ambition to build their future career in cybersecurity field.

Now, the bigger picture:

We’ve completed two Prep Course cohorts (November + December), with 18 students in total from the Western Balkans. They have already taken the final test, and the final selection will be made in January for the free Cybersecurity University Diploma starting in February 2026, delivered by WB3C in cooperation with the Université de Technologie de Troyes (UTT).

What makes this course unique is that it’s not “just another training.” It’s a real academic pathway that helps students build lasting qualifications and it sits alongside our year round short courses as part of a wider talent strategy.

What this diploma prepares students for (entry roles):
🛡️ Security Administrator
🧠 SOC Analyst (Junior)
🧪 Junior Penetration Tester
🔍 Digital Forensics Technician
✅ Cybersecurity Auditor (Junior)

What happens next:

📝 January: final selection
🎓 February 2026: one-year long diploma course starts

Our cooperation with universities is an investment in long-term cybersecurity workforce development and we have more plans for the future how to make these courses available to more people in the region.

Today, December 12th, the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C) had the pleasure to host a training on Governing Commercial Cyber Intrusion Capabilities (CCICs). 
Organized by the Ministère des Affaires étrangères français and implemented by Expertise France in the framework of a European Commission subvention under the Multi-Partner Contribution Agreement (MPCA) on Cyber and Artificial Intelligence, this training gathered diverse actors involved in the cybersecurity landscape of the Western Balkans region such as diplomats, magistrates and law enforcement officers to discuss the growing challenge posed by the proliferation and irresponsible use of CCICs. 

Throughout the day, participants deep dived into the characteristics of the CCICs market and exchanged the need for strong governance frameworks:
1)     Assessing the threat and current trends in the global cyber intrusion market.
2)     Decoding the Pall Mall Process: ensuring government responsible use of commercial cyber intrusion capabilities.
3)     National CCIC governance frameworks: sharing of national experiences and identifying challenges and guidance.

Complementary to the other WB3C trainings, this workshop has contributed to advancing responsible governance of CCICs and strengthening accountability in the cyber domain. We thank the speakers Mahé Dersoir (Ministère des Affaires étrangères français), Robert Pellow (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office), James Shires and Lena Riecke for their precious contributions and expertise in the subject. 
Moreover, we thank all participants for their active engagement and constructive exchanges, which are essential to continuously improve our collective understanding and oversight of CCICs. 
We are grateful to our local partners Davide Meinero, PhD of the EU Delegation to Montenegro, Melanie Moffat of the British Embassy, Bertrand Baucher of the French Embassy and Gilles Schwoerer, Head of WB3C for supporting this initiative.