Events

The Governing Board of the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C), meeting for its first session in Podgorica on 10 March 2026, elected Naim M. GJOKAJ as the Centre’s new Director General.
Mr. Gjokaj currently serves as State Secretary at the Ministry of Public Administration of Montenegro, a role he has held since December 2023. 
He brings extensive experience in public administration reform and regional cooperation, with a strong focus on digital transformation and institutional development. Mr. Gjokaj holds a degree in Banking from the Faculty of Financial Sciences at Marmara University in Istanbul, where he studied as a scholarship recipient of the Government of Turkey. 
His election marks an important step in the continued institutional development of WB3C following the Centre’s transition into an international organisation.
Mr. Gjokaj will be taking the position at the end of Q2, joinging our Programme Director Gilles Schwoerer in strengthening the institution’s foundations, deepening regional cooperation, expanding strategic partnerships and further consolidating WB3C’s role as a key regional platform supporting the EU integration and digital resilience of the Western Balkans. He will be working alongside our Programme Director Gilles Schwoerer in guiding the Centre’s strategic growth and programme development in the years ahead.

We warmly congratulate Director General-elect Naim Gjokaj and look forward to welcoming him to the WB3C team.

WB3C was pleased to take part in the discussion organised by the EU Institute for Security Studies and EU Cyber Direct – EU Cyber Diplomacy Initiative on “Europe Connected and Secure: Leveraging cyber and digital capacities in enlargement countries,” held in Brussels on 12 March.
The workshop brought together representatives from the Western Balkans, EU institutions and partners from Ukraine to assess common cyber threats, institutional realities, and the role that digital resilience can play in strengthening Europe’s neighbourhood security.
For WB3C, it was a valuable opportunity to exchange perspectives with colleagues from the WB6 partners, DG ENEST, DG CONNECT, ENISA, EEAS and other stakeholders working to support the EU enlargement agenda through stronger cyber and digital capacities.

Two ideas emerging from the discussion that our Programme Director Gilles Schwoerer engaged in are particularly important for us and will guide WB3C’s work in the coming months:
• A regional cyber diplomacy initiative, to be developed together with EU Cyber Direct, which WB3C aims to host in the second half of the year.
• A structured dialogue with universities across the region, to explore how practice-based cyber modules developed at WB3C can complement and strengthen existing or emerging Master’s programmes in cybersecurity.

Developing talent and building institutional capacity remain central to the region’s digital future. WB3C looks forward to continuing this conversation with partners across the region and the EU.

Yesterday, the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C) reached a major milestone in its institutional journey.

At the first meeting of its Governing Board, representatives of France, Slovenia and Montenegro came together to mark a new chapter for the Centre, with the signing of the Headquarters Agreement formally confirming WB3C as the first international organization headquartered in Podgorica. The appointed members of the Governing Board, H.E. Anne-Marie Maskay and Gen. Stephane Richou for France, iztok jarc and Uroš Svete for Slovenia and Ivan Lekovic and Aleksandar Zecevic for Montenegro, held the first inaugural session to adopt internal documents, while the Programme Director Gilles Schwoerer presented the achievements of the Centre in 2025 and the ambitious plan for 2026.

The event was honoured by the presence of the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ervin Ibrahimovic, Minister of Public Administration Marash Dukaj, French and Slovenian Ambassadors to Montenegro Anne-Marie Maskay and bernarda gradišnik, representatives of the EU Delegation and the diplomatic corps in Montenegro and our institutional partners, reflecting the strong support behind WB3C’s mission to serve as a regional platform for cyber capacity building, cooperation and resilience.

During the official addresses of the high representatives of the founding members, we heard the reassuring words of unwavering support to the region's European future and WB3C's mission in supporting the region on this path through strengthening its resilience against cyber and hybrid threats.

Beyond the formal ceremony, the day also offered a meaningful reminder of what this institution is ultimately about: investing in people, knowledge and the region’s future. On this occasion, General Stéphane Richou, Director of Security and Defense Cooperation at the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (Direction de la Coopération de Sécurité et de Défense DCSD 🇫🇷) visited the first class of the Cybersecurity Diploma Course, engaging with participants who represent the next generation of cyber professionals in the Western Balkans.

Taken together, yesterday’s events stood as a powerful testament to a shared commitment to regional cooperation, European values and a more secure digital future.

Last week, we officially launched the Cybersecurity University Diploma Course, welcoming a new cohort of 14 talented IT students from the Western Balkans.
Over the past months, many of them went through demanding preparation and pre-selection phases. Now the programme truly begins.
This one-year academic diploma, delivered by the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre in partnership with the Université de Technologie de Troyes (UTT), represents something much bigger than a 1-year training programme. It is an investment in the region’s long-term cyber talent pipeline.
The diploma carries 60 ECTS credits and may lead to a Bachelor’s degree through UTT, once prior academic credits are validated. This means that students from the Western Balkans are not only gaining technical skills — they are building qualifications that are recognized within the European higher-education framework.
The programme is designed to produce work-ready cybersecurity practitioners. Through lectures, hands-on labs, case studies, Capture-the-Flag exercises and a professional internship, participants will develop skills in:
• Secure systems and network administration
• Cryptography and data protection
• Secure software development and auditing
• Penetration testing and cybersecurity assessments
• Incident detection, SOC monitoring and digital forensics
• EU cybersecurity law, regulation and professional ethics
By the end of the programme, participants will be prepared for entry-level roles such as:
• Security Administrator
• SOC Analyst
• Junior Penetration Tester
• Digital Forensics Technician
• Cybersecurity Auditor

The course is taught by professors from UTT — a leading French institution in applied cybersecurity education — including Reza Elgalai, expert in digital forensics and cybersecurity, and Ljuban Petrovic, a recognized cybersecurity expert with extensive academic and industry experience.
Equally important, participants will complete professional internship in public administration, academia or private sector organisations across the region, ensuring that knowledge gained in the classroom translates directly into operational capability.
Cybersecurity skills shortages are one of the most critical challenges facing Europe today. Building these capacities requires sustained investment in education, mentorship and real-world training.
This programme is one step toward ensuring that the Western Balkans develops the next generation of cybersecurity professionals able to protect institutions, economies and citizens in the digital age.
We look forward to following the journey of this first cohort.

This week's meeting brought together prosecutors, judges, law enforcement investigators, financial intelligence specialists and policy experts from across South-Eastern Europe and the EU, alongside representatives of international organizations, civil society and the private sector. Participants included experts from institutions such as EUROPOL, INTERPOL, UNODC, national ministries of interior and justice, specialized prosecution offices, financial investigation units, cryptocurrency analytics companies and anti-trafficking organizations.
The event was implemented by UNODC, in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior of Montenegro and the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France.
On Day 2, participants visited the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C), where our team presented its mandate and activities supporting regional cybercrime investigations. Director Gilles Schwoerer presented the overall operations of the Centre while our in-house expert for cybercrime, Cyril C., introduced WB3C’s crypto-assets training programme, highlighting how investigators in the region are being equipped with practical skills for blockchain analysis, cryptocurrency tracing and digital evidence handling in financial investigations.
Discussions throughout the meeting emphasized the growing importance of digital forensics, blockchain analysis and cross-border cooperation in identifying and recovering criminal proceeds linked to trafficking in persons.
Events like this demonstrate how cooperation between international organizations, governments, investigative bodies and technical experts is becoming essential to address increasingly complex financial crimes in the digital era. The group visited the WB3C training facilities and part of the Science and Technology Park as one of the driving platforms for innovation in Montenegro.

Today, WB3C participated in a multisectoral roundtable on the “Protection of Children in the Digital Environment – A New Draft Law”, hosted by the Ulysseus European University – Innovation Hub for Cybersecurity at the University of Montenegro, led by Andreja Mihailovic, PhD in academic cooperation with the University of Genoa.
The discussion, opened by Prof. Dr. Savo Tomović and MP Slađana Kaludjerović, addressed the proposed Law on the Protection of Minors in the Digital Environment from multiple professional angles.

Our Senior Project Manager Vanja Madzgalj MBE noted that clearly this is an exceptionally complex regulatory space. 
On one hand, states face structural barriers: limited jurisdiction over very large digital platforms operating across borders, difficulties in enforcing obligations against global service providers and the technical opacity of algorithmic systems. On the other hand, children are digital natives with legitimate rights to access, participate in, and benefit from the digital world. Protection cannot mean exclusion.

⚡ At the same time, the data are stark.
We see increasing numbers of minors falling victim to digital crimes, including online sexual exploitation and abuse. We also see minors committing digital offences, often without understanding the legal consequences. Internet addiction is emerging at an early age, with long-term psychological and social impacts. Uncontrolled and unsupervised digital exposure is producing measurable harm.
The forum brought together ICT professionals, children’s rights organizations, parent associations, regulators, policymakers, and educators. 

There was broad agreement that:
Cross-border cooperation with EU regulators is essential, particularly in light of the Digital Services Act and emerging European enforcement mechanisms.
Parents and schools carry a critical share of responsibility.
Children’s rights — including access to information and digital participation — must be preserved alongside protection measures.
Clear criminalization of digital child sexual abuse material (CSAM), grooming, and manipulation of minors online is essential.
We also agreed that waiting for perfect solutions is not an option. We must start somewhere.
National awareness campaigns on digital risks, structured parental education, and early cybersecurity education in schools are foundational. Parents need greater support — and greater accountability. At the same time, targeted institutional regulation and enforceable legal provisions remain necessary, particularly in areas of exploitation, manipulation, and platform responsibility.
Protecting minors online is not a single-law issue. It is a societal, institutional, and technological challenge that requires coordinated national action and effective alignment with European regulatory frameworks. The complexity should not paralyze us — it should push us toward pragmatic, enforceable, and balanced solutions.

WB3C has launched a new edition of its four-day intensive OSINT training, bringing together police investigators and prosecutors from across the Western Balkans.
The participants were welcomed by Gilles Schwoerer, Head of WB3C, who underlined the importance of building coordinated investigative and prosecutorial responses to evolving digital threats. The training is delivered by WB3C’s in-house cybercrime expert, Cyril C., specializing in open-source intelligence (OSINT).
The programme focuses on practical, case-based learning to strengthen participants’ ability to collect, analyse and preserve digital evidence in line with legal standards. Through structured exercises, participants develop skills in advanced online searches, metadata analysis, secure data handling and safe navigation of the darknet environment.
By combining investigative techniques with prosecutorial perspectives, the training supports stronger end-to-end cooperation between police and justice actors — a critical factor in delivering prosecution-ready cybercrime cases.
Building sustainable regional capacity in open-source intelligence remains a key pillar of our work to enhance resilience against evolving digital threats.

Today, we hosted an EU delegation led by Zuzana Michalcova Sutiakova, Head of the Western Balkans Division at European External Action Service (EEAS), accompanied by representatives of the European Commission and the Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro.

The visit was a valuable opportunity to brief the EEAS on WB3C’s ongoing work across the region, supporting practical cooperation, strengthening cyber capabilities, and ensuring our activities remain closely aligned with the priorities that matter most for partners as they advance on the EU accession path.
We appreciate the open, concrete exchange and the continued engagement of EU institutions in helping the Western Balkans build resilient, secure digital systems, grounded in European standards and shared security interests.

We are so pleased to share with our community that professor Savo Tomovic, PhD received his certificate of completion for the 1-year Digital Forensics specialist training delivered by the Université de Technologie de Troyes (UTT), implemented in cooperation with the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C). 
Prof. Tomović is the Academic Lead of the Cybersecurity Innovation Hub and the Head of the Master’s study programme “Information Security" at the University of Montenegro.
This milestone marks the programme’s first academic participant, deliberately included alongside 15 law enforcement practitioners, to strengthen the link between operational needs and curriculum development. 

The training included 11 weeks (55 days) of classroom work coupled with research and exams. This training is a blend of theory and hands-on practice, built on the original French Gendarmerie investigator curriculum for Professional Bachelor's Degree (Professional License in Digital Forensics). The programme's core areas include: legal frameworks, digital evidence preservation, forensic analysis, OSINT/CyberPatrol techniques, networks/data analytics, investigative methodologies and information security. 
The rest of the group including 15 police investigators will continue with further training until June 2026, when the final exam and the dissertation are expected to take place in Troyes, France, before the UTT examination panel. 

This programme is a unique, EU-recognised, digital forensics qualification combining advanced hands-on investigative training with an accredited 60-ECTS academic credential - directly strengthening institutional capacity to handle complex cybercrime cases end-to-end. It was led by our experienced team of experts including Reza Elgalai, Ljuban Petrovic, Cyril C. and Yannick Casse. 

A symbolic awarding ceremony led by Gilles Schwoerer and Ljuban Petrovic just to say thank you to our dedicated colleague from the University of Montenegro, working hard all year round to support future talent through new future learning pathways.