Critical Infrastructure as an Instrument of Soft Power

04.09.2025

Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C) took part in a round table on “Critical Infrastructure as an Instrument of Soft Power” yesterday, organized by the NATO Council of Montenegro at the Science and Technology Park. The event gathered experts from government, academia, the private sector, and civil society to reflect on the political and strategic importance of critical infrastructure (CI) in national security and stability.

Opening remarks by Dr. Savo Kentera (President, Atlantic Council of Montenegro) and Prof. Dr. Zoran Keković (Director, Centre for Critical Infrastructure Resilience, Atlantic Council of Montenegro) set the tone by underlining that CI is more than a technical matter – it is a cornerstone of sovereignty and a geopolitical issue.

Key themes included:
-New regulatory framework – Montenegro’s new Information Security Law, aligned with NIS2, mandates key and important CI entities to be ISO 27001 certified. Implementation of the new regulatory framework presents a big challenge and it requires a multi-disciplinary approach and involvement of all actors.
-Prof. Keković outlined three major risks for CI: 1) disruption of goods and services, 2) vulnerability due to state dependence on infrastructure, and 3) soft power – those who control CI can project their power in different ways.

Sectoral perspectives: Contributions came from @Dušan Polović (Ministry of Public Administration), Ljuban Tmušić (Directorate for Protection and Rescue, Ministry of Interior), Ivan Stanković (Čikom), Saša Šćekić (Central Bank of Montenegro).

Representing WB3C, Vanja Madzgalj MBE presented the Centre’s progress toward becoming an international organization and announced that our Centre is already working on capacity building for critical infrastructure with two focused courses in September, developed with Urad Vlade Republike Slovenije za informacijsko varnost (URSIV) on 9-11 Sep and International Telecommunication Union (ITU) on 22-26 Sep, both aimed at IT professionals in CI entities. Towards the end of the year, we will also offer a simulation exercises for CI and will extend our current cooperation with Čikom.

The round table also offered an opportunity to expand networks and explore future collaboration. Head of WB3C Gilles Schwoerer spoke with Savo Kentera about strong joint interest in strengthening CI in Montenegro and across the region. He also met with representatives of the health and maritime sectors who also constitute important pillars of CI. The conclusion of this discussion assured us that taking a sectoral approach is key to advancing critical infrastructure protection. By engaging each sector individually - energy, transport, finance, ICT, health and others, WB3C and its partners can address specific challenges, tailor training and exercises to operational realities, and ensure that solutions are both practical and sustainable.

Other news and events

Protection of Critical Infrastructure Training for IT teams

Three days of intensive training (9-11 Sep 2025) on the protection of critical infrastructure wrapped up in Podgorica this week at the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C) premises. The training explored vulnerabilities of critical systems such as energy, transport, healthcare and water supply, and delivered practical sessions on risk management, ICS/OT security and incident response. This program brought together IT officers from across the Western Balkans public sector.
The highlight of the final day was a Capture the Flag (CTF) challenge, where participants applied the response skills in a competitive but collaborative setting. A special moment worth noting: first and third place went to women participants (from Albania and Kosovo*). This shows the strength of diverse teams and why we remain committed to encouraging more women in cybersecurity.
We thank our excellent partners Urad Vlade Republike Slovenije za informacijsko varnost (URSIV, Slovenia), Igor Kovač and Gregor Spagnolo for delivering such high-level expertise and engaging sessions.
The training closed with a certificate ceremony and closing remarks by Gilles Schwoerer, with lots of smiles, great vibes and a strong sense of community.

EU Legislation and Public Sector Standards for Cyber

This week in Bar, Montenegro, DCAF - Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance and Regional School of Public Administration (ReSPA) and Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C) jointly delivered a three-day regional training on cybersecurity legislation and public-sector standards.
The event gathered representatives from across the Western Balkans’ public administrations — an opportunity to connect networks, exchange practices, and strengthen a common regional approach to cybersecurity capacity. The programme was funded by the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with Melanie Moffat from the British Embassy Podgorica attending the training.

Day 1 opened with remarks from Franziska Klopfer (DCAF) and Gilles Schwoerer (Head of WB3C). In his opening address, Gilles underlined that WB3C is not just a centre in Podgorica, but a regional platform designed as a resource for the entire Western Balkans — built for the region, to be used by the region. The day continued with sessions on EU legislation and certification frameworks, including insights into Italy’s cybersecurity architecture and the functions of the Italian National Cybersecurity Agency (Agenzia per la Cybersicurezza Nazionale).
🔹 Day 2 brought a broader audience, as more participants from the ReSPA network joined. Bojana Bajić (ReSPA) joined Franziska and Gilles in addressing the group, stressing the importance of cooperation across institutions in the process of advancing cybersecurity capabilities and aligning normative frameworks with EU standards. Participants then heard from the National Cybersecurity Authority of Greece, explored digital competencies for public administration, and worked on designing cybersecurity training curricula for civil servants, IT staff, and managers.
🔹 On Day 3, the sessions will turn to national practices, with contributions from Serbia’s National Academy for Public Administration and the Civil Service Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, offering concrete models for embedding cybersecurity into public administration training systems.
Together with DCAF and ReSPA, and with the support of FCDO, this training strengthened the foundations for a more resilient public sector across the Western Balkans, aligned with the region’s needs and EU accession priorities.

Building relationships with regional institutions

Strengthening regional cybersecurity capacity starts with strong relationships. At Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C), we prioritise working closely with our beneficiaries and stakeholders across the Western Balkans.
To that end, we continue our regional outreach, meeting our partners in person to better understand their priorities and explore opportunities for cooperation.
This time, our trainers Yannick Casse and Cyril C. visited Prishtina and Skopje, where they met with key counterparts from the Ministries of Interior and Justice. The visit highlighted concrete prospects for future collaboration.
Synergies were also identified with UNDP Kosovo* (OSINT, Dark Web training) and Home Affairs Programme of European Union (HAPE) in Kosovo*, further expanding the scope for joint work.
While the majority of WB3C training activities are delivered from our Podgorica Centre, we remain open to relocating select trainings across the region upon request.

Through this outreach, WB3C ensures its training offer remains flexible and tailored to the evolving needs of our beneficiaries across the region.