ReSPA and the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Development Center are enhancing the digital security of public administrations in the Western Balkans through a three- day cyber hygiene training program

04.06.2024

Image for ReSPA and the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Development Center are enhancing
the digital security of public administrations in the Western Balkans through a three-
day cyber hygiene training program

In a major step towards strengthening cyber resilience and promoting a robust cybersecurity culture in the Western Balkans, the Regional School of Public Administration (ReSPA) andthe Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C) launched a three-day comprehensive Training for Trainers in Cyber Hygiene today at the University of Montenegro's Rectorate building.

The training aims to educate 17 senior public officials to become skilled trainers in cyber hygiene. Equipped with new knowledge and skills, these officials will be able to train their peers to better recognise and manage cybersecurity risks at the operational level.

Cybersecurity is not just a technical issue but a fundamental aspect of national security and public administration efficiency. Our collaborative efforts with our partners from the WB3C are significant steps towards a resilient cyber ecosystem in the Western Balkans. Understanding and adopting the skills in cyber hygiene across public administrations willstrengthen this first line of protection, and augmenting the number of civil servants practising it will enable their organisations to react promptly or recover swiftly if attacks occur. This training will result in having new trainers in public administration on cyber security, new resources for transferring the knowledge and ultimately achieving bigger digital security and resilience, underlined Olivera Damjanović, ReSPA Programme Manager.

Cedric Grousset, Head of the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre, emphasised the

importance of strong collaboration between the Centre and public institutions and partners,

including the Ministry of Public Administration of Montenegro and ReSPA. He highlighted

the significance of a regional approach in training modules for civil servants.

Today, for the first time, we have gathered civil servants from the Western Balkans who work in cyber security to learn, exchange ideas, and advance in cyber hygiene and cyber security. More importantly, we will train them to become trainers, enabling them to further disseminate this knowledge to their peers across the region.

Dušan Polović, Director of the Directorate for Infrastructure, Information Security, Digitization, and e-Services in the Ministry of Public Administration, also addressed the participants, emphasizing the importance of continuously developing resilient cyber security structures in the Western Balkans. He noted that this three-day training is a crucial step in strengthening regional capacities in cyber security.

The training combines engaging lectures, in-depth skill acquisition, theoretical insights, and practical exercises on cyber hygiene. This approach will produce highly skilled trainers and advocates who understand the importance of preventative measures and effective cyber risk management.

Completing this training is a significant milestone in the region's journey towards improved cyber security. Since last year, ReSPA and WB3C have been collaborating on initiatives to support the public administration of the Western Balkans in data protection and cyber security.

The Regional School of Public Administration (ReSPA) represents a distinctive, regionally- driven platform committed to advancing the reform of public administration (PAR) by fostering policy dialogue at the highest levels, sharing expertise, facilitating learning opportunities, fostering networking initiatives, promoting public sector mobility and capacity building, conducting topical research, and meticulously analysing policies.

Established as a collaborative initiative between the European Commission and the governments of the Western Balkans, ReSPA operates under the stewardship of five Member States: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia, with Kosovo* benefitting from its programs.

With a primary focus on empowering civil servants, ReSPA endeavours to catalyse the development of modern, transparent, and efficient public institutions capable of effectively serving their citizens and facilitating the European integration process within the Western Balkans.

The Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Center (WB3C) is a regional cyber capacity-building initiative based in Montenegro. It is a training center focusing on fight against cyber crime, cyber security and cyber diplomacy. It aims at improving the cyber capacities and cyber resilience of the Western Balkans admistrations. Besides education and training for specialised groups of professionals and training for trainers WB3C promotes exchange of good practices, regional and international cooperation between administrative, technical and educational institutions.

France and Slovenia in partnership with Montenegro initiated this project in order to facilitate region’s approximation the EU membership.

Other news and events

Certified Data Protection Officer training,

This week, 26-28 May 2026, we organized the Certified Data Protection Officer training, a three-day regional programme for public servants involved in the implementation, supervision and monitoring of data protection measures across governmental and public sector institutions.

Data protection is a key part of digital trust. As public services become more digital and interconnected, institutions need the capacity to protect personal data, strengthen compliance, and ensure that citizens’ rights are respected in practice.

For the Western Balkans, this training is especially relevant. Strong data protection frameworks support better public administration, safer digital services, responsible data use and closer alignment with European standards. They also help institutions move beyond formal compliance and towards a more practical, people-centred approach to privacy and accountability.

Over the next three days, participants will work through the key pillars of data protection practice:

• Organisational governance — understanding roles, responsibilities and internal accountability
• Customer-centric compliance — applying data protection principles in services and institutional processes
• People-focused rights and responsibilities — strengthening the protection of individuals and supporting responsible decision-making

The course combines theory with practical exercises, peer exchange, group work and interactive simulations. Participants will work in small groups using a mock organisation aligned with their institutional context, allowing them to apply lessons to realistic public-sector scenarios.

The training is also designed as a certification programme, with short daily quizzes and final certification based on the average score across all three days.

By investing in Data Protection Officer capacities, WB3C is supporting the development of a stronger regional professional network — one that can help institutions protect personal data, build public trust and embed data protection into everyday governance. Big thank you to our trainers Blerta Xhako, Stella Manga Chesnay and Stefano Leucci.

Curtesy Visit by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

WB3C pleased to welcome a delegation of the Kingdom of Norway for a courtesy visit and exchange on possible areas of future cooperation.
The visit was an opportunity to present WB3C’s work as a regional platform for cybersecurity, cybercrime and cyber diplomacy, and to discuss how practical capacity-building can support resilience, institutional cooperation and the European path of the Western Balkans.
We were honoured to receive Mr Eirik Nestås Mathisen, Special Envoy for the Western Balkans at the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with Ms Anita Krokan, Special Adviser at the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Colonel Dag-Magne Lunde, Defence Attaché of the Kingdom of Norway, Mrs. Ingrid Vik from the Norwegian NGO UTSYN and Mr Rajko Radevic, Adviser at the Norwegian Ministry of Defence, who were welcome by our programme lead Gilles Schwoerer.
Norway has long been a valued partner to the region, with a strong understanding of security, governance and resilience challenges in the Western Balkans. We look forward to continuing the dialogue and exploring concrete ways to work together in the period ahead.

Cyber Vigilance for Children - Session 2

Cyber vigilance starts with very simple questions.
❓ What do we share online?
❓Who can see it?
❓When is screen time too much?
❓What should we do if something online feels strange, scary or unkind?

Yesterday, WB3C held a second session on Cyber Vigilance for Children for the French School in Podgorica, this time with the youngest age group, children aged 7 to 10.
The session, prepared and delivered by Cyril CORRIAS and Yannick CASSE, WB3C cybercrime trainers, introduced children to the basics of safer and healthier digital habits in a way they could understand, discuss and remember.
Together, they explored screen time, passwords, privacy, online behaviour, social media, bullying, and the importance of speaking to a trusted adult when something does not feel right.
The morning ended with a group-game questionnaire and the awarding of an individual Internet License — a small certificate, but with a meaningful message: being online also means learning how to be careful, kind and responsible.
At this age, cyber education is not about fear. It is about giving children confidence, language and instincts that can protect them as their digital world grows.