WB3C is hosting a three-day peer exchange from 20–22 October 2025, bringing together cybersecurity experts from across the region. The group was welcomed by H.E. Peter Felten, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Montenegro and Gilles Schwoerer, Head of WB3C. 

This exchange is supported by our partners DCAF - Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, represented by Lazar Lunic and Sophia Klumpp. We’re especially pleased to welcome to Podgorica the CARNET - Croatian Academic and Research Network representatives Ivana Jelačić and Bruno Varga as guest speakers, sharing Croatia’s experience in strengthening national cybersecurity frameworks and readiness under the NIS2 Directive.

This three-day session focuses on practical cooperation — from information sharing and coordination mechanisms to awareness-raising and a cross-border tabletop exercise (TTX) simulating incident response in the Western Balkans. Collaborative learning like this strengthens our collective resilience and supports progress toward a safer digital future for the region.

WB3C joined the Global Cyber Policy Dialogue: Western Balkans on 16–17 October in Tirana, hosted by Albania’s National Cyber Security Authority and the Netherlands MFA with ORF America and ASDO.

The meeting gathered 50 regional stakeholders at the roundtable format to discuss various aspects of capacity building, cooperation and international norms. 

Our project manager, Maja Miranovic, delivered a short presentation on WB3C capacity-building work, covering our current courses and our training pipeline for the coming year, including all three pillars. She emphasized the unique value of our regional platform as a neutral hub for technical training and cooperation which serves as a cyber wing of the Berlin Process.  

Agenda highlights: 

• emerging threats and whole-of-society defense;
• incident-response tabletop led by Albanian authorities;
• UN norms and cyber diplomacy; and a session on scalable capacity-building models.

A highly productive week in Valencia at the 5th Edition of the Valencia Cybersecurity Bootcamp, organized by Microsoft. It was a privilege for the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C) to participate in this esteemed gathering.
The bootcamp provided a platform for in-depth dialogue on pressing global cyber issues. The sessions - from AI and cybersecurity to incident response and international law in cyberspace - offered valuable insights into the current digital security landscape. Engaging with such a distinguished group of professionals, including diplomats, legal experts and technical leaders from organizations like FIRST, OAS and the UN, was immensely beneficial.

Our colleagues, Gilles Schwoerer, Head of WB3C, and Vanja Radović, Project Assistant, representing the Centre, joined by colleagues from the region Marija Matić of the Ministry of Interior, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Lendita Haxhitasim, a diplomat from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Kosovo*, were pleased to engage with the global cybersecurity community and bring some interesting insights and best practices back to the Western Balkans.
As a young woman in cybersecurity, Vanja Radović noted: "As a newcomer to this field, the bootcamp was a fantastic opportunity for professional development and expanding my horizons. Learning from leading experts and connecting with peers from around the world was incredibly valuable for our work at the Centre and for me personally."
Thank you to Microsoft and all the organizers for a well-designed and effective event.