Events

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.

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.

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.

This week, WB3C delivered a hands-on training programme on the fundamentals of cybercrime investigations under the Home Affrairs Programme of European Union In Kosovo (HAPE-Kosovo) initiative, led by our experts Philippe Marie and Cyril Corrias.
The training covered key areas of modern cybercrime investigations, including:
✅ Internet and darknet operations, network fundamentals and operational security
✅ Open-source intelligence (OSINT) techniques
✅ Investigation of cyber-enabled crime
✅ Practical approaches to cybercrime investigations, from field operations to digital evidence collection
✅ Cryptocurrency-related investigations and European and international frameworks for cross-border cooperation.

Through progressively challenging practical exercises, participants strengthened their investigative skills, applied established methodologies and developed a more consistent approach to tackling cybercrime.
The week was marked by strong engagement, active participation and valuable exchanges of professional experience.
Building investigative capabilities and strengthening cross-border cooperation remain central to WB3C's mission to combat cybercrime across the Western Balkans.

On 4 November, the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C) welcomed a high-level delegation from the Council of the European Union's Horizontal Working Party on Enhancing Resilience and Countering Hybrid Threats (HWP ERCHT), led by Conor Nelson of Ireland.
The delegation, comprising representatives of EU Member States and EU institutions, was joined by colleagues from the EU Delegation to Montenegro and Montenegro's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
During a tour of the Centre, we presented WB3C's mission, strategic objectives and capacity-building activities across cybersecurity, cybercrime and cyber diplomacy, including our work on foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) and disinformation, which are currently in our focus.
The discussions highlighted WB3C's distinctive value as a regional platform connecting institutions, expertise and international partners, translating shared security priorities into practical capacity building and stronger regional cooperation. This approach generated particular interest among the visiting delegation.
Engagements of this calibre are especially valuable in strengthening WB3C's visibility among EU institutions, fostering a closer understanding of its strategic role and opening opportunities for deeper cooperation on shared security challenges.
We thank the delegation for their interest and constructive exchange, and look forward to continuing the dialogue.

As cybersecurity threats grow more sophisticated and AI changes the rules of the game, how can we build the workforce needed to protect our critical infrastructure, institutions and economies?
This was the central question of the panel our colleague Vanja Madzgalj MBE joined at Albania's National Cybersecurity Conference, organised by the Autoriteti Kombëtar për Sigurinë Kibernetike / National Cyber Security Authority in Tirana on 3 November.

One of the paradoxes I highlighted is that organisations struggle to recruit cybersecurity professionals while many graduates struggle to secure their first jobs. Employers want experienced professionals, yet too few pathways exist for young people to gain that experience.

The World Economic Forum's Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026 reinforces the urgency: 54% of organisations identify insufficient skills as a barrier to adopting AI in cybersecurity, while 94% of respondents expect AI to be a major force reshaping the cybersecurity landscape.
My message was that we cannot solve the cybersecurity workforce shortage through training alone. We need to act on several fronts simultaneously.
This requires stronger partnerships between governments, academia and industry, flexible curricula aligned with real-world needs, structured internships and apprenticeships, skills-based recruitment rather than degree- based, and continuous learning as AI transforms cybersecurity roles.
We also need to mobilise talent that remains underutilised: women, young people outside major cities, mid-career professionals and diaspora experts who can contribute through knowledge exchange and brain circulation rather than permanent brain drain.

For operators of critical and important infrastructure, the challenge is particularly pressing. Meeting growing regulatory obligations is not simply a question of compliance. It requires practical capabilities, including operational technology (OT) security, incident response, cross-sector coordination and exercises that test preparedness under real-world conditions.
This is where organisations such as the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C) can make a difference, connecting institutions and expertise across borders and helping turn shared priorities into practical capabilities.
Ultimately, the challenge is not just to train more people. It is to turn education into experience, connect talent with opportunity, and build a cybersecurity workforce capable of adapting to a rapidly changing threat landscape. The lively exchange with the audience raised as many questions as it answered, underscoring the complexity of the challenge and the need to continue this important conversation.
Big thanks to AKSK and Floreta Faber for this opportunity.

This year's Forum INCYBER (FIC) des Territoires, held in Le Creusot, France, on 21-22 October, brought together experts, industry representatives and public institutions to discuss some of today's most pressing cybersecurity challenges: artificial intelligence, collective cyber defence and the protection of critical infrastructure.
For WB3C, participating at the invitation of General marc watin augouard- was an opportunity to exchange experience and explore new partnerships that could contribute to strengthening cyber resilience across the Western Balkans.
We were particularly encouraged by discussions that our Programme Director Gilles Schwoerer had with Hexatrust on critical infrastructure protection and Flavien CHERVET on the evolving role of artificial intelligence in cybersecurity. These contacts offer promising avenues for future cooperation and knowledge exchange.
The Forum also offered an opportunity to discover the remarkable heritage of Le Creusot, including the Château de la Verrerie, originally built in the 18th century as the royal crystal and enamel factory of Queen Marie-Antoinette. A memorable setting that brought together technological innovation and French industrial history.
Our thanks to General Marc Watin-Augouard and the organising team for the invitation, the valuable discussions and the opportunity to build new connections between French cybersecurity expertise and the Western Balkans.
📷 Photo credits: Communauté Urbaine Creusot Montceau (Forum INCYBER des Territoires) and Creusot-infos.com.

WB3C welcomed a delegation of military and defence representatives participating in the 13th Coordination Board meeting of the NATO Framework Nation Concept, led by Italy (FNC-ITA), hosted by Montenegro's Ministry of Defence of Montenegro.
The visit provided an opportunity to present WB3C’s mandate, activities and strategic priorities in strengthening regional capacities in cybersecurity, cybercrime and cyber diplomacy, while exploring potential areas of cooperation with defence and security institutions.
The Italian-led Framework Nation Concept brings together NATO allies to strengthen multinational cooperation through education and training, joint exercises, operational engagement and capability development.
As cyber threats increasingly intersect with broader security and defence challenges, the visit highlighted the importance of strengthening cyber resilience, developing specialised skills and fostering closer cooperation between civilian and defence institutions.
WB3C remains committed to expanding partnerships that contribute to regional security, institutional resilience and the development of cyber capabilities across the Western Balkans.

WB3C continued to expand its cooperation with European law enforcement and judicial partners through two engagements in Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina in October.

On 8–9 October, WB3C Cybercrime Trainer Jean-Pierre Bonnet attended a regional workshop in Budva, organised by Eurojust's Western Balkans Criminal Justice (WBCJ) and SIRIUS projects. Bringing together judicial and law enforcement authorities from across the Western Balkans, the workshop focused on cross-border access to electronic evidence, cooperation with online service providers, and the legal and operational challenges of digital investigations.

Later in October, Jean-Pierre participated in meetings in Sarajevo with representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Europol SIRIUS and CEBS, exploring the development of specialised training on identifying, investigating and facilitating the removal of terrorist content online.

These engagements support WB3C's efforts to strengthen operational cybercrime investigation skills, develop specialised training programmes and build closer cooperation with European partners in addressing increasingly complex cross-border threats.

Photo credit: Eurojust webiste https://www.eurojust.europa.eu