Mengeš, 29 November – The digital portfolio is one of the top priorities of Slovenia’s Presidency of the Council of the EU and upcoming Three Seas Initiative Ministerial Conference on digital transformation, organized by the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of European Union, will feature discussions around key strategic challenges and digital policies.
Recognizing the importance of engaging in the ongoing debate on EU’s digital future, Centre for European Perspective – CEP is proud to announce a new publication titled ‘Paving the digital path in Central and Eastern Europe – Regional perspectives on advancing digital transformation and cooperation’, featuring articles from expert authors Theodore Christakis (AI-Regulation), Fredrik Erixon and Oscar Guinea (ECIPE – European Centre for International Political Economy), Soňa Muzikárová (GLOBSEC Policy Institute), Christian Kvorning Lassen (EUROPEUM), Ewelina Kasprzyk and Kamil Mikulski (Kosciuszko Institute), Katja Mohar Bastar and Jaka Repanšek (Slovenian Digital Coalition), Márton Ugrósdy (IFAT – Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade) and Mindaugas Ubartas (Infobalt) with a foreword by Minister of Digital Transformation of Slovenia, H.E. Mr Mark Boris Andrijanič.
Digital technologies are the future of our everyday life. The Covid-19 pandemic further increased the pace of adoption and penetration of digital solutions into all pores of our society, from our workplaces to our social interactions. Engaging in the ongoing debate on the EU’s digital future is crucial because of the impact it will bring for decades to come. It is, therefore, crucial to look at digital development from two perspectives – what the EU as a whole needs (for instance, what kind of digital standards will prevail in the future and whether or not they correspond to EU’s values) and what individual member states need, what challenges they face and where opportunities lie.
This publication aims to continue our quest to enhance cooperation in CEE and bring regional perspectives on digital transformation. Théodore Christakis affirms that the EU already is a digital regulatory superpower with international cooperation and strategic partnerships helping to secure digital standards that protect and support its values. Fredrik Erixon and Oscar Guinea alert us to the often-overlooked aspect of the new digital regulations that are still unknown but may prove to be critical for Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries, while Katja Mohar Baster and Jaka Repanšek focus on two factors crucial for ensuring a digital future for Slovenia, the CEE and the entire EU: smart digital regulation and unified, competent and innovative digital environment.
Catching up with developed European countries requires the countries of the 3 Seas Initiative (3SI) to grow faster, become more competitive and build on its potential and synergy effects, write Ewelina Kasprzyk and Kamil Mikulski. They argue that increasing connectivity should be the centre point of such efforts. Soňa Muzikárová tackles the importance of skill development and posits that the shortage of relevant skills, talent and brains is likely to be the number one bottleneck for further growth; therefore, governments may want to stay open to collaboration with the private sector and other economic actors on skill enhancement. Márton Ugrosdy takes an honest look at what he calls a too optimistic approach to the CEE digital potential and highlights some of the current challenges through the Hungarian case study. Christian Kvorning Lassen discusses the challenges facing Czechia in digital development, explores policy solutions for a successful digital transformation and outlines key priorities of the upcoming Czech Presidency in support of such transformation – progressing the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Market Act (DMA), continuing work on making e-commerce part of the EU commercial policy and to further develop the Digital Compass. Finally, Mindaugas Ubartas makes a case for creating a digital environment that enables a real-time economy and moves away from document management in favour of data management as a means of avoiding the middle-income trap.
We are thankful for contributions from prominent European think tanks and organizations and find their perspectives invaluable.
Western Balkan countries set to define their common vision on the future of Europe
Ljubljana, XX November – The first in a series of workshop as a substantive contribution of Western Balkans 6 (WB6) countries to the EU-wide debate on the Future of Europe will take place on 1 December 2021 in a hybrid model from Podgorica. It will be organised by the Centre for European Perspective in co-operation with the European Integration Office of Montenegro and structures in charge of co-ordinating European affairs from WB6. Assistance will be provided by the regional project for the Promotion of EU Integration, funded by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).
The event will begin with an introductory address by Mr Zdravko Krivokapić, Prime Minister of Montenegro and Mr Gašper Dovžan, State Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia.
The first panel of the workshop will provide a platform for discussion between relevant stakeholders in the European integration process at the level of Deputy Prime Ministers, Ministers for European Integration and Chief Negotiators from the Western Balkans countries. The discussion will focus on next steps in the European integration process of WB6, a possible common approach to specific common topics and sectoral policies, as well as the existing challenges.
The second panel of the workshop is entitled “Climate Change and Environment Goals” and will explore the possibilities for the Western Balkans to contribute to the EU priority goals on climate change and environmental degradation. The discussion will focus on the European Green Deal and what role the Western Balkans can play in transforming the EU into a resource-efficient and competitive green economies.
The third and final panel on “Investing in Youth Today” will focus on what investment into the youth can contribute to a more prosperous Europe. Facilitating platforms, which provide equal opportunities for youth in education and the labour market, as well as to empower young people to take an active part in building their societies, is crucial for the economic development of WB6. Moreover, fostering opportunities for youth in the Western Balkans is a key challenge in WB countries’ European integration efforts.
Panelists will be: Mr Zef Mazi, Chief Negotiator, Ms Darija Ramljak, Assistant Director and Head of Strategy and Integration Policies Division in DEI, Ms Zorka Kordić, Chief Negotiator, Mr Nikola Dimitrov, Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs, Mr Miroslav Gačević, Assistant Minister, Department for Political and Economic Criteria in the Process of Accession to the European Union and Mrs Donika Gërvalla, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora.
This event has been initiated by the European Integration Office of Montenegro and structures in charge of co-ordinating European affairs from WB6 and it will be organised by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH Regional project on promotion of EU integration on behalf of the German Government, the Centre for European Perspective in co-operation with and under the auspices of the Slovenian presidency of the Council of the EU, with the support of the EU-funded EU4ME project.
While negotiations on EU membership are awaiting opening in North Macedonia, the competent Macedonian authorities are actively working on strengthening the system of financial investigations and the system of confiscation of proceeds of crime and property, which could be of illegal origin.
In pursuit of interest to conduct effective financial investigations, after the adoption of the National Strategy for Financial Investigations in July 2021, the competent Macedonian authorities are in the process of development and interdepartmental coordination of standard operating procedures. Harmonized standard operating procedures will more specifically define the course, characteristics and cooperation in financial investigations of the authorities, which in North Macedonia carry out financial investigations (Ministry of the Interior, Financial Police Directorate, Customs Administration and the State Prosecutor’s Office). Slovenia, which supports North Macedonia in bringing it closer to EU standards in the field of financial investigations, will between 30 November and 2 December 2021 provide advice in interdepartmental coordination and standardization of financial investigation procedures in North Macedonia.
Strengthening the system of financial investigations is an important condition for North Macedonia’s membership in the EU, and above all, it is a key tool for crime prevention. Effective financial investigation and confiscation of assets where it cannot be proved to be obtained legally, carries the message that crime does not pay. With the planned measures, authorities in Macedonia reiterate the interest of North Macedonia that the more property is confiscated from criminals, the more the state can use it to improve the quality of public services for the people of North Macedonia, including health, education, social welfare and for the fight against crime itself.
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 State Prosecution, Financial Administration, Ministry of the Interior and the Police of the Republic of Slovenia.
After the successful conclusion of the training’s first edition, the Centre for European Perspective will implement the second edition of the training on Digital Communications in Civilian Crisis Management as a part of the European Union Civilian Training Initiative (EUCTI), which provides tailor-made training activities for individuals working in the EU’s CSDP and other international missions (OSCE, UN, AU and others)…
The four-day training, which will take place online due to the pandemic situation, is designed to increase the awareness of mission communication experts on the efficient use of information technology to enhance missions’ communication performance.
Successful strategic communication aids in establishing a trustworthy relationship with the public by engaging with them in a timely, transparent and open manner. In the case of peace operation missions, information technologies could be better utilised for strategic communication to increase the support of the domestic and foreign public and increase its legitimacy. Thus, the course aims to strengthen the overall performance of missions’ communication efforts, which enhance the mission’s legitimacy.
The upcoming training will take place in parts on the 23rd and 29th of November and resume on the 7th and 10th of December. It addresses the needs of the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo with participation extended to experts serving in other international missions and organisations in Kosovo. The upcoming training represents the first module of the training, which is going to facilitate a theoretical basis on digital communications in civilian crisis management. This will provide participants with the platform to take part in the second module of the training in the future, which is more practically oriented.
The three-day training on Digital Communications in Civilian Crisis Management organised as a part of the European Union Civilian Training Initiative has been successfully concluded!
Over the past three days, the participants of our training took part in interactive lectures on various topics that are crucial for digital communicators ranging from digital security to digital rhetoric.
We’re glad to have cooperated with participants from the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia and European Union Delegation in Georgia who provided proactive and substantial contributions to the training.
This training concludes the first module of the training on Digital Communications in Civilian Crisis Management. The second module will be implemented in a residential format and is expected to take place sometime in the spring of 2022.
We would like to wish the participants lots of success in achieving their digital communication objectives and we would also like to express our gratitude to our fantastic team and lecturers for implementing the training.
