First Online Training on Cultural Heritage Protection

First Online Training on Cultural Heritage Protection

Protection of cultural heritage encompasses numerous issues ranging from regular maintenance to natural catastrophes and armed conflicts. Its importance led the EU to add cultural heritage protection to the tasks of the Common Security and Defence Policy missions as it can mean relevant support to the goals of missions, especially if provided for in the mission mandate.

In light of the growing importance of cultural heritage protection in an operational environment, the Centre for European Perspective is organising the pilot edition of the Online Training on Cultural Heritage Protection. The training will take place in the period from the 15th to the 17th of September 2021.

The online lectures, workshops and participatory activities will cover the basic topics and will ensure all participants understand what cultural heritage protection entails, its international legal framework, relevant institutions dealing with protection globally; what the basic instruments and methods for the protection of cultural heritage are and how the EU’s approach looks on the ground.

Photo credit: Rashan Chudasana for Unsplash

[Invitation] July 15 – The Future of the Transatlantic Relations – Priorities for the Slovenian Presidency

[Invitation] July 15 – The Future of the Transatlantic Relations – Priorities for the Slovenian Presidency

The Centre for European Perspective – CEP and the European Centre for International Political Economy – ECIPE invite you to a webinar:

The Future of the Transatlantic Relations – Priorities for the Slovenian Presidency

Thursday, 15 July, 15.00 CET

There is a new energy in EU-US relations. Digitalisation played a crucial role during the pandemic to keep the society going, and its role will only grow in the coming years. China’s rise as a technological power and the desire to protect liberal values, such as democracy and human rights, have made it urgent to deepen the partnership with like-minded countries on technology and digital trade. The recently established Trade and Technology Council (TTC) demonstrates that both the EU and the US are keen to deepen their relations and promote faster tech-enabled growth.

Join our panel of experts to discuss:

  • What should be the focus of the TTC? How to achieve better market access and streamline differing regulations?
  • What role can transatlantic cooperation play in the EU’s recovery plan?
  • How can the transatlantic partnership help transform the European digital environment?
  • Can Europe’s unilateral (regulatory) actions or the quest for strategic autonomy hurt the reinvigorated cooperation and the newly established TTC?
  • What are the core problems in Europe’s path towards a technologically advanced digital economy?

Speakers:

  • Dr Stanislav Raščan, State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Slovenia
  • Fredrik Erixon, Director of the European Centre for International Political Economy
  • Joanna van der Merwe, fellow, Defense Tech Initiative, Center for European Policy Analysis
  • Heli Tiirmaa-Klaar, Ambassador-at-Large, Director of Cyber Diplomacy Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Estonia
  • Rihards Kols, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Latvian Parliament (TBC)

Moderator: TBA

Join us and register here!

To learn more about the event, follow Centre for European Perspective on Facebook and Twitter, you are also invited to follow ECIPE on Facebook and Twitter.

First in-person EDDE training after 2020 successful

First in-person EDDE training after 2020 successful

36 Digital Diplomats from 11 countries gathered between 21 and 25 June 2021 in Bar, Montenegro for a five-day European Digital Diplomacy Exchange training, which was organized by the Centre for European Perspective together with the U.S. Department of State.

Our first in-person training – after March 2020 – was a success. An amazing group of highly motivated individuals went through fully packed five-day training that consisted of many interesting lectures and workshops relating to the field of digital diplomacy.

In the first three days, participants were able to listen to and participate in various sessions and workshops aimed to improve their digital communication skills. In the evening, our Steering Board members were put in the spotlight as we held round table discussions about crisis communication, tips and tricks, and influencer marketing. The fourth day was dedicated to the simulation – participants were given a scenario and had to put in practice all the gathered knowledge from the first three days. On the fifth day, they presented their work and got feedback from the panel of experts.

Although there were many concerns and issues to be resolved due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was a complete success and took place in a productive atmosphere, with no positive COVID-19 cases.

Make sure to check out the European Digital Diplomacy Exchange webpage to learn more about the project and check out their Be Digital Diplomat blog.

IDSCS coordinated study visits by the Visegrad Group researchers to the Western Balkans capitals

IDSCS coordinated study visits by the Visegrad Group researchers to the Western Balkans capitals

Under the auspices of the ‘Cooperation Instrument for the Western Balkans Think Tanks – THINK BALKANS’ project, financially supported by the International Visegrad Fund and implemented by the Institute for Democracy “Societas Civilis” – Skopje (IDSCS), in cooperation with the European Movement in Serbia (EMinS)Platforma CiviKos from Kosovo, Politikon Network from Montenegro, Albanian Institute for International Studies (AIIS) from Albania, Humanity in Action from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Centre for European Perspective (CEP) from Slovenia, Centre for Eastern Studies from Poland (OSW)Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade from Hungary (IFAT), the Research Centre of the Slovak Foreign Policy Association (RC SFPA) from Slovakia, and EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy (EUROPEUM) from the Czech Republic, between 7 and 11 June, IDSCS coordinated the first round of on-site study visits by the Visegrad Group (V4) researchers to the Western Balkans (WB6) capitals.

Researchers from the Czech Republic (EUROPEUM), Hungary (IFAT), and Poland (OSW), together with their local WB6 think tank hosts and IDSCS as project coordinator attended meetings with representatives from the WB6 ministries of foreign affairs (MFAs), parliaments, civil society, and political parties.

During the meetings, the participants and hosts of the study visits presented the goals, deliverables, and upcoming activities of the THINK BALKANS project and called for future political and financial support through IVF and WBF, necessary for the official establishment of the permanent mechanism for cooperation between WB6 expert community and WB6 MFAs.  The study visits also served as fact-checking missions aimed at providing them with the V4 guest researchers with the necessary information for the production of V4 partners’ short-term analysis on the lessons learned from WB6.

The impact of the study visits is four-fold. The Bosnian, Montenegrin, Serbian and Kosovar MFAs congratulated on the achieved results of the THINK BALKANS project, greeted the cooperation between the V4 and WB6 think tanks, and MFAs, calling for its future deepening, and committed to greater cooperation and support of the THINK BALKANS consortium. Furthermore, the representatives of MFA underlined the need for the expertise provided by the local authors from the region and expressed a genuine willingness to learn from the Visegrad Group experience. They mentioned common challenges like the green agenda and pollution, which should be addressed in the framework of this cooperation. During the meeting, the participants also discussed the establishment of the contact points in the ministry for such cooperation. The other stakeholders, interlocutors at these study visits, especially MPs and CSOs, expressed interest in greater cooperation, expertise and knowledge sharing within the Western Balkans, as well as across V4 and WB6. Last, the visiting V4 researchers gained a better understanding of the context in the WB6 countries for establishing the Think Balkans platform and exchanged their experience and know-how from the Think Visegrad with the stakeholders in the region.

 

For more about the study visits, read here.

Serbia and Slovenia have joined forces in managing patrols and responding to police needs

Serbia and Slovenia have joined forces in managing patrols and responding to police needs

Klikni tukaj za branje prispevka v slovenskem jeziku. Slovenia on Apple iOS 11.2

Management of patrols is an important part of the police response to people’s needs when their lives, safety, or property are at stake. The needs of vulnerable groups are particularly important here. In many cases, it is essential, even a matter of life or death, how quickly a patrol can respond. A police officer who performs a dangerous task in the field can also be in danger of death. It is therefore important that we have a well-functioning patrol management system that enables the efficient management of all police capacities.

In the period from 8 to 11 June 2021, a series of workshops was held, the purpose of which was to strengthen capacity and prepare for the integration of organizational units in the field of police administrations Bor, Pirot, Požarevac and Zaječar in the patrol management system. Representatives of these police administrations exchanged their experiences with their colleagues from organizational units in the territory of Police Administration Sremska Mitrovica and Police Administration Vranje, as well as with representatives of the Police of the Republic of Slovenia. The Slovenian Police were represented as active interlocutors by Primož Kadunc, Head of the Road Traffic Department in the Uniformed Police Sector, Miha Ristič from the Operational Communication Center, both Police Administration Ljubljana and Martin Detiček, Assistant Commander of the Police Station Brežice from the Police Administration Novo mesto.

The project is part of the program activities of international development cooperation, financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia and implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior and the Police of the Republic of Slovenia.

 

Further information:

Andreja Dolničar Jeraj

Programme Director

Centre for European Perspective