RCC CyberPulse 2025: Regional Stakeholder Join Forces in Cybersecurity

02.07.2025

The High-Level Western Balkans Cybersecurity Conference – CyberPulse 2025: Tracking Progress, Building Resilience, Driving Change – gathered government representatives, EU institutions, regional organizations, cybersecurity experts and private sector leaders to address the growing cyber threat landscape in the Western Balkans.

CyberPulse 2025 focused on three priorities:

addressing current gaps in regional cyber capacities,
exploring the role of emerging technologies, and
operationalising joint initiatives and partnerships.

Opening Remarks

The conference opened with high-level messages of commitment to regional cyber resilience:

Amer Kapetanović, Secretary General of the RCC, highlighted the sharp rise in cyber incidents and stressed that trust, political will and coordinated regional action are the strongest “firewall” against threats. He also announced the development of the new regional cybersecurity needs database.
Filip Ivanović, Deputy Prime Minister of Montenegro for Foreign and European Affairs, emphasized Montenegro’s adoption of European cybersecurity standards and its vision of a secure, resilient digital future as part of EU integration.
Michael Docherty, speaking on behalf of the European Commission Delegation, reaffirmed EU support for the region through initiatives with ENISA and the Council of Europe, underlining that cybersecurity is now a central element of the EU Growth Plan for the Western Balkans.
Gilles Schwoerer, Head of WB3C, noted that while digital transformation offers many opportunities, it also expands the attack surface, underscoring the urgent need for secure digital pathways and collective resilience.

Conference Panels

High-Level Panel: Stronger Connectivity, Smarter Security, Resilient Future (moderated by Danijela Gačević, Head of the Programme Department, RCC)
Senior government representatives from the region exchanged views on national priorities, institutional capacities, and EU integration in the field of cybersecurity.
- Governments stressed the shortage of cybersecurity professionals as a critical challenge.
- Kosovo*’s representative emphasized dependence on external consultants and the need to train public servants internally.
- Montenegro focused on intersectoral cooperation and the role of NATO and EU support.
- North Macedonia presented its new Ministry for Digital Transformation and its national cybersecurity strategy.
  Panelists:
- Bardhyl Dobra – Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Pristina
- Naim Gjokaj – State Secretary, Ministry of Public Administration, Podgorica
- Radoslav Nastasijevikj Vardjiski – Deputy Minister for Digital Transformation, Skopje
Navigating Cyber Threats in the Western Balkans: The Evolving Role of AI and Emerging Technologies (moderated by Mirza Jamaković, Prosecutor's Office Sarajevo)
Experts from Europol, law enforcement, and the private sector discussed the opportunities and risks of AI, from forensic tools to the misuse of generative AI by organized crime groups.
- Europol described using machine learning to analyze millions of data points in criminal investigations.
- Concerns raised about organized crime groups developing their own AI tools, including large language models, for cybercrime.
- Calls for explainable and transparent AI outcomes in cybersecurity decision-making.
- Oracle warned against uploading confidential data into public AI tools, stressing regulatory gaps.
  Panelists:
- Emmanuel Kessler – Europol
- Jelena Zelenović Matone – WomenCyberForce / Women4Cyber
- Nenad Bogunović – Cybercrime Unit, Belgrade
- Amar Dedović – Oracle
Empowering Talent: Skill-Building for the Future in the Western Balkans (moderated by Andreja Mihailović, Women4Cyber Montenegro)
The session focused on education, workforce shortages, women’s participation in cybersecurity, and ways to redirect youth talent from informal digital activities to formal opportunities.
- Highlighted that women’s participation in cybersecurity remains below 20% in the Western Balkans.
- Croatia shared progress from 30% to 52% female participation in the UN Cybersecurity Working Group between 2019 and 2024.
- Albania’s Cybersecurity Agency argued for education reform starting at primary school.
- Open Society Foundation raised concerns about youth involvement in grey/illegal digital activities, calling for redirection into formal sectors.
  Panelists:
- Tamara Tafra – Deputy Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Zagreb
- Igli Tafa – Director, National Cybersecurity Agency, Tirana
- Andi Dobrushi – Open Society Foundation
- Fabio di Franco – ENISA
Integrating Experience and Strategy: A Multisector Dialogue on SOC Advancement (moderated by Vanja Madžgalj, WB3C)
Panelists shared good practices for building and operating Security Operations Centres, stressing the importance of policy alignment, inter-sectoral cooperation and trust-building between public and private actors.
Albania’s national experience showed that the 2022 cyberattack became a catalyst for building SOC capacity and adopting “zero trust” and defense-in-depth strategies.
Differences between public and private sector approaches to threat intelligence were emphasized, with trust and data-sharing seen as barriers for public institutions.
North Macedonia introduced a new law placing the Ministry for Digital Transformation as the central cybersecurity authority.
Panelists:
- Franc Zyliftari – Head of Incident Response Team, Tirana
- Philippe Gillet – Gatewatcher, Paris
- Aleksandar Acev – Cyber Balkans, Skopje
Sectors United Against Cyber Threats: Building Bridges Across Sectors (Milan Sekuloski, e-Governance Academy, Tallinn)
This discussion brought together public institutions, civil society, academia, and the private sector, highlighting how multi-stakeholder collaboration is essential to strengthening regional resilience.
- Pristina shared good practices in bringing all relevant actors together regularly on critical infrastructure protection.
- Civil society organizations were recognized as important but vulnerable actors requiring targeted cyber hygiene tools and support.
- SMEs were highlighted as particularly exposed, requiring systemic support from the public sector.
- The EBRD linked its investment strategy to cybersecurity, showing that infrastructure projects cannot be sustainable without integrated cyber risk management.
  Panelists:
- Lulezon Jagxhiu – Prime Minister’s Cabinet, Pristina
- Predrag Puharić – Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence, Sarajevo
- Ivona Dabetić – NGO Secure, Podgorica
- Roy Yarom – European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)

The conference concluded that cybersecurity in the Western Balkans can no longer be treated as a purely technical issue but must be recognized as a strategic priority, requiring long-term cooperation, sustained investment and coordinated regional action.

Other news and events

Upcoming

Disinformation and Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference Capacity Building Workshops

Programme

📅 30 November – 1 December 2026
📍 Science and Technology Park, Podgorica, Montenegro
🏛️ Conference Hall Unicorn, 2nd floor

Context: Building on WB3C’s May 2026 regional conference, these workshops examine how governments, media and other stakeholders can anticipate, prevent and respond to malign information operations. Sessions combine strategic perspectives with practical approaches to threat detection, crisis coordination, reporting and AI-enabled information manipulation. The programme is provisional and still subject to change.
Audience: Government strategic communications officials, cybersecurity leadership, journalists, media regulators, fact-checkers and civil society organisations.
Working language: English (no simultaneous interpretation).
Chatham House Rule: The workshops will be held under the Chatham House Rule, providing a safe space for an open dialogue.

Funding: The event is organised under the EU-funded project “Improving the resilience of critical entities and the protection of public spaces and cyberspace against security threats in the Western Balkans” (2026–2028). This event is also supported by Poland, Norway, United Kingdom and France, through their diplomatic missions in Podgorica and Belgrade.

DAY 1 – Monday, 30 November 2026

☕ 08:30–09:00 | ARRIVAL
Registration and welcome coffee

🕘 09:00–09:30 | OPENING REMARKS
• WB3C
• Ministry for European Affairs of Montenegro
• EU

🎙️ 09:30–10:00 | MODERATED POLICY DIALOGUE
Montenegro at the Crossroads: Safeguarding Its Democracy and European Future in an Era of Hybrid Threats
• Biljana Papović — State Secretary, Ministry of European Affairs of Montenegro
• Todor Goranović — Defence and Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of Montenegro

Moderator: Matthew Booth, UK

🕘 10:00–10:45 | EXPERT SESSION
The Agents of Chaos: The Shadow Campaign Against the West
• Maciej Bukowski — Casimir Pulaski Foundation, Poland

☕ 10:45–11:15 | COFFEE BREAK

🕚 11:15–12:00 | EXPERT SESSION
From Detection to Decision: How VIGINUM Feeds Government Crisis Management During Hybrid Campaigns
•VIGINUM — France’s service for vigilance and protection against foreign digital interference

🕐 12:00–13:00 | MODERATED DISCUSSION
The AI Disinformation Battlefield: New Weapons, New Threats, New Defences – and the Fight for Public Trust
• Dr. Raphaël-David Lasseri — Magic LEMP, France
• Henrik Vold — Norwegian Institute of Journalism, Norway
• Eirik Veum — Norwegian Police Security Service (PST), Norway
• Dr. Daniel Schroeder — SINTEF Digital, Norway
Moderator: Dr. Ingrid Vik, Director UTSYN, Centre for Security and Resilience, Norway

🍽️ 13:00–14:00 | LUNCH

🕑 14:00–14:30 | EXPERT SESSION
Geopolitical shifts and impact on the Western Balkans
• Jamie Tarabay — Crumpton Global, USA

🕑 14:30–15:15 | EXPERT SESSION
Coordination and decision making during an ongoing hybrid assault
• Matthew Booth — FCDO, United Kingdom

🕒 15:15–16:30 | EXPERT SESSION
Modern Information Warfare: The Global Strategy to Destabilise the Western Balkans
• David Colon — Sciences Po, France

🎤 16:30–17:00 | QUESTIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE

DAY 2 – Tuesday, 1 December 2026

🛠️ 08:00–09:30 | CLOSED WORKSHOP

• David Colon — France
• Matthew Booth — United Kingdom

🕙 10:00–12:00 | ROOM 1: WORKSHOP FOR GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS
From Detection to Institutional Response

• David Colon — Sciences Po, France
• VIGINUM — France
• Dr. Raphaël-David Lasseri — Magic LEMP, France

Context: Government institutions may detect suspicious activity without a clear process for assessing significance and mobilising a response.

Objective: Practise moving from initial indicators and analytical findings to an institutional assessment, escalation decision and coordinated response.

🕚 10:00–12:00 | ROOM 2: WORKSHOP FOR MEDIA AND CIVIL SOCIETY
Verification of an AI-Amplified Information Operations

• Henrik Vold — Norwegian Institute of Journalism, Norway
• Eirik Veum — Norwegian Police Security Service (PST), Norway
• Dr. Daniel Schroeder — SINTEF Digital, Norway

Context: Synthetic content, coordinated amplification and misleading claims complicate verification under time pressure.

Objective: Apply verification and source-assessment methods to a simulated information operation, distinguishing evidence, uncertainty and responsible reporting.

☕ 12:00–13:00 | LUNCH

🧩 13:00–14:30 | WORKSHOP FOR GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS
Crisis decisions under pressure
• Maciej Bukowski — Casimir Pulaski Foundation, Poland
Practical tabletop exercise.

🧩 13:00–14:30 | WORKSHOP FOR MEDIA AND CIVIL SOCIETY
Editorial judgement during a hybrid crises (TBC)
• Jamie Tarabay — Crumptom Global, USA
Practical tabletop exercise.

🍽️ 14:30–15:00 | COFFEE BREAK

🛠️ 15:00–16:30 | PLENARY WORKSHOP
Government-Media Crisis Coordination Simulation

• Matthew Booth — FCDO, UK

DAY 3 – Wednesday, 2 December 2026

🛠️ Time TBC | UNIVERSITY GUEST LECTURES

• Maciej Bukowski — Casimir Pulaski Foundation, Poland
• Jamie Tarabay — Crumpton Global LLC
University of Donja Gorica, Faculty of Humanities

NB. To register for the conference please use this LINK or contact vanja.madzgalj@wb3c.org. The number of seats is limited.

This event will be photographed. Please read our Privacy Policy on the Registration Form.

To download the programme and the speakers bios, go to the top of the page.

From Open Sources to Investigative Intelligence: Advanced OSINT

Open-source intelligence is increasingly central to modern cyber investigations. But finding information is only part of the challenge. Knowing how to investigate securely, connect findings and turn fragmented data into actionable intelligence is what makes the difference.

On 10–11 November, WB3C is hosting a two-day advanced OSINT training in Podgorica, bringing together specialists from cybercrime units and judicial investigative services across the Western Balkans.

Delivered by Nicolas De Rycke and Jean-Pier Bonnet JP BNT, the practical training introduces participants to elephantastici io, an advanced investigative platform, with a focus on:
✅ Operational security during online investigations
✅ Advanced search capabilities and intelligence gathering
✅ Exporting findings for investigative reports and case files
✅ Building logical investigation maps to connect evidence and trace research activities
The training also brings together professionals who have completed WB3C's recent Train-the-Trainers programme, providing an opportunity to deepen their technical expertise and explore tools that can support their investigative work.
The focus is on practical application: giving investigators the tools and techniques to work more effectively, securely and systematically in an increasingly complex digital environment.

Selection underway for the next generation of cybersecurity diploma programme

The Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C), in partnership with the Université de Technologie de Troyes (UTT), France, is preparing to welcome the next generation of participants to its one-year Cybersecurity Diploma Programme, starting in February 2027.
The selection process is already underway, reflecting strong regional interest in advanced cybersecurity education:
🧑‍🎓 23 candidates from across the Western Balkans applied.
🧑‍🎓 17 candidates successfully passed the first pre-selection examination.
🧑‍🎓 13 November marks the next stage, with candidates taking a second entrance examination.

The programme places hands-on training and practical experience at the heart of its curriculum with a view of equipping participants with the technical skills and operational competencies needed to address real-world cyber threats, making them job-ready for the most in-demand entry level jobs.

Through its partnership with UTT, WB3C is helping bridge the gap between academic knowledge and operational readiness, developing a new generation of skilled cybersecurity professionals capable of strengthening cyber resilience across the Western Balkans.