Donor Coordination Meeting Strengthens Cybersecurity Support in the Western Balkans

03.07.2025

On the margins of the CyberPulse 2025 conference hosted by the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) jointly with Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre, DG ENEST convened its regular Donor Coordination Meeting.

The meeting gathered senior officials, donors, beneficiaries, international organizations and regional experts to align cyber capacity-building efforts in the Western Balkans, ensuring that support is coordinated, complementary and responsive to regional needs.

Key Highlights

Launch of the IISG Cybersecurity Database – a new mapping tool that identifies ongoing projects, donor contributions and unmet needs in the region. The database will serve as a practical resource for avoiding duplication and guiding the allocation of resources.
Priority alignment – open exchanges between donors and beneficiaries helped to harmonize priorities and optimize international support across key areas such as cybersecurity, cybercrime and cyber diplomacy.
Strategic coordination – participants emphasized the need for regular use of the IISG Cybersecurity Database to track initiatives, identify gaps and ensure that new projects respond to real needs.

Way Forward

Donor monitoring: keep track of active contributors (EU, Council of Europe, OSCE, USA, the Netherlands and others) and their respective areas of intervention.
Internal follow-up: establish a register of donor projects based on the IISG Database and synchronize future initiatives with RCC and WB3C coordination efforts.
Visibility and synergies: ensure WB3C projects are included in the IISG Database to enhance regional cooperation.

The Donor Coordination Meeting underlined the importance of structured collaboration and transparency, setting the stage for stronger, better aligned and more impactful cyber capacity-building initiatives in the Western Balkans.

Following the broader Donor Coordination Meeting, DG ENEST convened a focused session with leading implementing partners in the region—including WB3C, ENISA, the e-Governance Academy, the Council of Europe and RCC—to explore how to maximize impact through closer collaboration and coordination. WB3C used this opportunity to present its comprehensive multi-year training programme across its three pillars, several of which are delivered jointly with partners. In parallel, WB3C is leading ongoing negotiations with DG ENEST on funding our regional programmes, reinforcing our role as a central hub for cyber capacity building in the Western Balkans.

Other news and events

Visit to the Administration for Maritime Safety and Port Management

Today, our team Gilles Schwoerer and Maja Miranovic visited the Administration for Maritime Safety and Port Management in Bar, Montenegro, to explore potential cooperation on cybersecurity training, with a particular focus on strengthening the capabilities of their SOC team.

The discussion highlighted the value of a sectoral approach to protecting critical infrastructure, especially in sectors linked to Montenegro’s broader maritime and coastal economy. In the context of NIS2 implementation and the growing need for critical entities to align with international ISO standards, we reviewed priority needs and practical options for tailored capacity-building.

We were welcomed by Nexhat Kapidani, Deputy Director who introduced the team to the Administration’s facilities and operational context. The visit reinforced the potential for the maritime domain to be among the first sectors considered under WB3C’s future sector-focused work on cyber resilience.

WB3C Receives an Appreciation Award from the Association of Security Managers of Montenegro

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.

Second Cybersecurity Diploma Prep Course Completed

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.