Events

On June 11-12 June, Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C) hosted its first regional conference, a landmark event drawing over 100 professionals from the region's public administrations, international bodies, and local stakeholders. The conference, which featured four thematic panels, offered a platform to address the dynamic and pressing challenges in cybersecurity and cyber diplomacy.

Panel Overview:

Panel 1: Cyber Resilience and Critical Infrastructure

Chaired by Lt. Col. Yannick Ragonneau, the first panel set the tone for the conference, focusing on cyber resilience and the protection of critical infrastructure. Representatives from both government and private sectors, including experts from the French Ministry of Interiorand ArcelorMittal, discussed collaborative approaches and best practices for defending essential services and assets.

Panel 2: Evolution of Cybercrime Phenomena and International Criminal Assistance

Colonel Laurent Baille moderated a critical discussion on evolving cyber threats and the necessity of robust international cooperation. The panel highlighted effective strategies for international criminal assistance and the importance of a multi-stakeholder approach to create a safer digital environment.

Panel 3: Artificial Intelligence and Ethics in Cybersecurity

Cyber Ambassador Vladimir Vucinic led the third panel, which delved into the impact of AI on global security, responsible usage, and the intertwined challenges of rapid technological advancement and privacy concerns. The dialogue underscored the importance of good data governance and strategic AI adoption in law enforcement and policymaking.

Panel 4: Navigating the Cyber Landscape Through Cyber Diplomacy

The final panel, guided by Tadej Rupel, Slovenia's Cyber and Digital Ambassador, explored the critical aspects of cyber diplomacy. Discussions focused on the EU's role, private sector engagement, and civil society’s contributions to fostering international cyber policy dialogues. This panel highlighted the essential role of entities like ENISA in capacity building and the increasing reliance on AI to support diplomatic efforts, especially for resource-constrained environments.

On Day 2, we focused on the application of the pre-diagnostic tool Diagonal, which was

donated to the Western Balkans administrations. The tool is designed to help administrations:

• Assess cyber maturity: Understand the current level of cybersecurity within the administration.
• Identify improvements: Suggest both human and technical areas for enhancement.
• Collect data: Gather statistical information on prevalent cyber threats.

On 12 June, WB3C instructors provided a workshop to the representatives of the WB6 on the effective use of the tool and its features.

Summary:

The WB3C Regional Conference mapped out the landscape of cybersecurity challenges and opportunities in the Western Balkans. By bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders, the conference both provided valuable insights and proposed solutions to certain challenges, and it reinforced the necessity for continued dialogue and cooperation in the cyber domain underpinned by full commitment of governments towards creating a future proof cyber environment.

As technology continues to advance and cybersecurity becomes a crucial topic in international and regional discussions, cyber diplomacy emerges as a cornerstone of modern foreign policy. Collaboration among governments, the private sector and civil society is essential to address the evolving cyber threats and shape a secure and prosperous cyberspace. With the rise in malicious cyber activities, the role of cyber diplomacy has evolved to address the current threat landscape and engage in global cyber policy discussions.

Panel 4 of the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C) Regional Conference on 11 June, led by Tadej Rupel, Cyber and Digital Ambassador of Slovenia, discussed some of the critical aspects of international collaboration in the field of cybersecurity such as:

• EU's digital diplomacy efforts and their correlation with cyber diplomacy
• Private sector contributions to cyber diplomacy in the Western Balkans
• Civil society's role in promoting collaboration in cyber diplomacy
• European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA)'s utilization of digital diplomacy in capacity-building in the Western Balkans

Key takeaways provided by our distinguished panelists are:

• Multistakeholders such as DiploFoundation, Geneva, support global cyber diplomacy by providing training and capacity-building for diplomats, conducting policy research, facilitating multistakeholder dialogues, and developing resources.
• AI can provide valuable assistance to diplomats, especially smaller countries with less resources available, in processing datasets to produce high quality reports.
• Private companies like Microsoft play a vital role in cyber diplomacy through public-private partnerships and threat intelligence sharing.
• Higher education must incorporate social sciences to align with evolving technologyneeds.
• The EU has implemented legislation and legal frameworks to address the changing security landscape and protect the open, free, and stable cyberspace.
• ENISA supplements national authorities and agencies through capacity-building and skill development initiatives in both tactical and technical domains.
• The French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs is actively involved in cyber diplomacy by engaging in bilateral and multilateral dialogues to establish norms and transparency, supporting EU-wide cybersecurity efforts, and promoting international cooperation and responsible state behaviour in cyberspace\u200B.

Panelists of this session were: Demosthenes Ikonomou Nikolas Ott Erna Catic Vladimir Radunovic Andreja Mihailovic, PhD Mahé Dersoir

In a major step towards strengthening cyber resilience and promoting a robust cybersecurity culture in the Western Balkans, the Regional School of Public Administration (ReSPA) andthe Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C) launched a three-day comprehensive Training for Trainers in Cyber Hygiene today at the University of Montenegro's Rectorate building.

The training aims to educate 17 senior public officials to become skilled trainers in cyber hygiene. Equipped with new knowledge and skills, these officials will be able to train their peers to better recognise and manage cybersecurity risks at the operational level.

Cybersecurity is not just a technical issue but a fundamental aspect of national security and public administration efficiency. Our collaborative efforts with our partners from the WB3C are significant steps towards a resilient cyber ecosystem in the Western Balkans. Understanding and adopting the skills in cyber hygiene across public administrations willstrengthen this first line of protection, and augmenting the number of civil servants practising it will enable their organisations to react promptly or recover swiftly if attacks occur. This training will result in having new trainers in public administration on cyber security, new resources for transferring the knowledge and ultimately achieving bigger digital security and resilience,  underlined Olivera Damjanović, ReSPA Programme Manager. 

Cedric Grousset, Head of the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre, emphasised the

importance of strong collaboration between the Centre and public institutions and partners,

including the Ministry of Public Administration of Montenegro and ReSPA. He highlighted

the significance of a regional approach in training modules for civil servants.

Today, for the first time, we have gathered civil servants from the Western Balkans who work in cyber security to learn, exchange ideas, and advance in cyber hygiene and cyber security. More importantly, we will train them to become trainers, enabling them to further disseminate this knowledge to their peers across the region.

Dušan Polović, Director of the Directorate for Infrastructure, Information Security, Digitization, and e-Services in the Ministry of Public Administration, also addressed the participants, emphasizing the importance of continuously developing resilient cyber security structures in the Western Balkans. He noted that this three-day training is a crucial step in strengthening regional capacities in cyber security.

The training combines engaging lectures, in-depth skill acquisition, theoretical insights, and practical exercises on cyber hygiene. This approach will produce highly skilled trainers and advocates who understand the importance of preventative measures and effective cyber risk management.

Completing this training is a significant milestone in the region's journey towards improved cyber security. Since last year, ReSPA and WB3C have been collaborating on initiatives to support the public administration of the Western Balkans in data protection and cyber security.

The Regional School of Public Administration (ReSPA) represents a distinctive, regionally- driven platform committed to advancing the reform of public administration (PAR) by fostering policy dialogue at the highest levels, sharing expertise, facilitating learning opportunities, fostering networking initiatives, promoting public sector mobility and capacity building, conducting topical research, and meticulously analysing policies.

Established as a collaborative initiative between the European Commission and the governments of the Western Balkans, ReSPA operates under the stewardship of five Member States: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia, with Kosovo* benefitting from its programs.

With a primary focus on empowering civil servants, ReSPA endeavours to catalyse the development of modern, transparent, and efficient public institutions capable of effectively serving their citizens and facilitating the European integration process within the Western Balkans.

The Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Center (WB3C) is a regional cyber capacity-building initiative based in Montenegro. It is a training center focusing on fight against cyber crime, cyber security and cyber diplomacy. It aims at improving the cyber capacities and cyber resilience of the Western Balkans admistrations. Besides education and training for specialised groups of professionals and training for trainers WB3C promotes exchange of good practices, regional and international cooperation between administrative, technical and educational institutions.

France and Slovenia in partnership with Montenegro initiated this project in order to facilitate region’s approximation the EU membership.