Operational Technology, Cyber Resilient Ecosystems, and Critical Information Infrastructure Protection: Enhancing Cybersecurity Proficiency for Western Balkans Administrations

06.09.2024

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The Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C), in collaboration with the Dutch Nationaal Cyber Security Centrum (NCSC-NL) of the Ministry of Justice and Security, conducted a specialized training from 3 to 6 September at WB3C’s new premises in the Science and Technology Park of Montenegro.

The training series was designed to enhance the cybersecurity skills of key government officials from across the Western Balkans, focusing on protecting Critical Infrastructures (CI) and Critical Information Infrastructures (CII). Divided into three segments, the programme covered:

Operational Technology:
Participants learned to secure Operational Technology crucial to sectors such as manufacturing, energy, and utilities. Practical sessions explored strategies for defending against cyber threats targeting OT environments.
Cyber Resilient Ecosystems:
This segment focused on building resilient ecosystems capable of withstanding and recovering from cyber incidents. The training involved hands-on exercises to develop regional and sector-specific strategies.
Critical Information Infrastructure Protection:
The final segment provided insights into protecting essential digital assets, with practical exercises to strengthen strategies for safeguarding critical information infrastructures.

The training brought together government officials responsible for digital affairs, national crisis management, and critical infrastructure, as well as researchers in cybersecurity. Led jointly by experts from NCSC-NL and WB3C, this programme reflects WB3C's ongoing commitment to promoting cooperation both internationally and regionally on matters of cybersecurity.

Other news and events

Upcoming

CyberPulse 2025: A Regional RCC Cybersecurity Conference

The Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C) is pleased to co-host WB CyberPulse 2025, a high-level regional cybersecurity conference taking place on 2 July 2025 in Podgorica. Organised in partnership with the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) and the European Commission (EC), the event will bring together key actors from across the Western Balkans and the EU to advance the region’s cyber resilience.

The conference will gather ministers, CERT/CIRT/CSIRT teams, EU institutions, international organisations, financial institutions, private sector leaders and civil society to engage in a structured and forward-looking dialogue.

WB CyberPulse 2025 will focus on:

Addressing current gaps in regional cyber capacities
Exploring the role of emerging technologies
Operationalising joint initiatives and partnerships

As a regional platform for cooperation and knowledge exchange, this conference represents an important step forward in aligning cybersecurity efforts with EU standards and building a more secure digital future for the Western Balkans.

Digital skills for cadets of the Montenegro Police Academy

This week, WB3C is delivering a tailored training on Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) for the second group of 10 cadets from the Police Academy in Danilovgrad, Montenegro. The training follows a recent WB3C visit to the Academy to better understand its curriculum and infrastructure needs.

With limited coverage of digital investigation methods in the Academy’s existing curriculum, WB3C has launched a series of hands-on sessions to build critical skills in cyber-enabled policing. A third group is already scheduled for training in December.

The training was opened by Academy Director Nenad Vojinovic and Head of WB3C Gilles Schwoerer, who explained the importance of digital skills in criminal investigation today and encouraged the cadets to embrace the digital dimension of modern law enforcement.

The course is highly practical and interactive and provides the cadets with techniques to find, extract and preserve open-source evidence in lawful ways. The training is led by WB3C in-house trainers Yannick Casse of the French Gendarmerie and Cyril C. of the French National Police who have substantial experience in the field.

WB3C is very pleased to be able to develop this relationship with the Montenegro Police Academy and contribute to the development of national capacities in tackling cyber crime.

WB3C Mission to Sarajevo

As part of its ongoing commitment to strengthening regional cooperation in cybersecurity, the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C) conducted a two-day mission to Sarajevo on 19–20 June.

The visit focused on engaging key national stakeholders who are already benefiting from WB3C training programmes, as well as identifying opportunities for deeper collaboration.

WB3C met with the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Delegation of the European Union, and the Directorate for European Integration to discuss the Centre’s strategic role in supporting regional capacity building and BiH’s participation in EU-aligned cyber initiatives. These discussions emphasized the importance of shared ownership, sustainability, and the active involvement of beneficiary institutions in shaping the Centre’s future direction.

As a follow-up to our May dialogue, WB3C also held a productive meeting with the Centre for Judicial and Prosecutorial Education of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina to assess ongoing training needs and explore tailored programme development for judicial actors.