12. 6. 2024 | EUCTI, PR
After three and a half years, the European Union Civilian Training Initiative (EUCTI) project is nearing its end. The EUCTI Secretariat, held at the Centre for European Perspective (CEP), decided to host its Final Conference on Thursday, 6 June, at BluePoint in Brussels. The Final Conference was divided into two parts: a panel discussion in the morning and a partner meeting in the afternoon. All Consortium partners attended it, as well as representatives of individual European police and gendarmerie organisations, EU stakeholders, and others interested in hearing about EUCTI and its achievements throughout the years.
The morning session of the conference was enriched by the insights shared by the esteemed panellists: Mrs Mihaela Matei from CPCC.1, Ms Anna-Karin Häggeborg from PCM.1, and Ms Tetiana Babiichuk from EUAM Ukraine. They provided a comprehensive view of the project and its connection with the EU CSDP training policy and architecture. The panellists underscored the importance of flexibility, agility, quick responsiveness, and need-based, tailor-made, and integrated approaches to training. These, they emphasized, are the key elements that equip such initiatives to effectively bridge the existing gaps. The afternoon session further delved into these insights, presenting key lessons learned and takeaways from the project in an informal and engaging manner.
The project has not only met but surpassed the objectives it set out in January 2021, a source of great joy for the whole Consortium. Partners have implemented 41 training courses and activities, among them seven workshops for members of training institutions from countries not (yet) contributing to EU Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions. We have trained almost 700 participants, mostly staff of civilian EU CSDP crisis management missions who were joined by personnel of other international peace support organisations, a testament to the project’s wide-reaching impact. Two working groups—the Working Group on Standardisation and Methodology and the Working Group on Evaluation—made conducting all these activities possible by creating a solid quality assurance framework.
CEP and EUCTI
Besides hosting the Secretariat (already a humongous task), CEP implemented nine training activities. Seven of them targeted personnel of EU Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) civilian crisis management missions: EULEX Kosovo, EUAM Ukraine, EUMM Georgia and EUM Armenia. Two of them targeted members of training institutions in Namibia and Mongolia.
Although this project is ending, CEP is continuing its activities in civilian crisis management at the European Union level and is currently preparing for a new, even bigger, and more ambitious project. Stay tuned for more soon!
22. 2. 2024 | PR, Strengthening Societal Resilience and Countering Foreign Perpetrated Disinformation in 6 Western Balkans Countries
Novica v slovenščini je dostopna tukaj.
In the final stretch of the Western Balkan tour, the project Strengthening Societal Resilience and Countering Foreign Perpetrated Disinformation in the Western Balkans visited Kosovo and Montenegro in the week of 12-16 February.
In roundtable discussions with local experts, national governments, media, civil society, representatives of the academia and the international community, the priority of countering foreign perpetrated disinformation was reiterated as a matter of supporting democratic development, peace and security, and the EU integration of the region. Participants welcomed initiatives such as this Project that bring to the same table different societal sectors and appreciated the opportunity to exchange experiences and insights with peers from across Europe: the European External Action Service, the Centre against Hybrid Threats from the Czech Republic and the Brussels-based EU DisinfoLab. Cooperation was the word of the day during the dynamic and engaging debates, calling for a greater, more consistent and structured exchange between governments, media, and civil society, and between local stakeholders and international peers. Many good practices that were noted during the discussions stemmed precisely from such cooperative efforts.
With the visits to Kosovo and Montenegro in February 2024, the Project concluded its tour of the Western Balkans. The lessons learned during all six visits will feed into the remaining activities of the project that will follow this spring!
The Project Strengthening Societal Resilience and Countering Disinformation in the Western Balkans is funded by the National Endowment for Democracy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia through development cooperation funds.
20. 12. 2023 | PR, Strengthening Societal Resilience and Countering Foreign Perpetrated Disinformation in 6 Western Balkans Countries
Novica v slovenščini je dostopna tukaj.
In its final in-country visit in 2023, the project Strengthening Societal Resilience and Countering Foreign Perpetrated Disinformation in the Western Balkans made its way to Tirana, Albania. On 15 December, the project organised an insightful discussion with Albanian society, as well as with local and European experts and practitioners.
Participants highlighted that although the challenge of foreign-perpetrated disinformation may seem muted in Albanian society, it is highly present as information is uncritically shared from foreign sources by different societal actors. Fact-checking is often a race against time, whereas media, as well as digital literacy, remain an ongoing priority.
Presentation of the findings by BIRN Albania showcased that foreign information manipulation is not as rare an occurrence as is commonly believed, and copy-pasting from foreign media outlets without fact-checking presents a big challenge for society. Representative of EEAS underlined the support of the EU to Albania and Western Balkan partners and the commitment of the EU’s diplomatic arm to strengthen the resilience against foreign information manipulation and interference. Participants also had the opportunity to hear first-hand accounts of good practices in EU Member States – how fact-checking works in the world-renowned media outlet Deutsche Welle, and how access to reliable information is incorporated in the national emergency supply of Finland. Exchange with international experts, learning from good practices, and support from the EU are prerequisites for further work in this area.
The project also held a closed-door discussion with representatives of the Albanian government and state agencies, which revealed the need to maintain and expand the whole-of-government dialogue on countering foreign-perpetrated disinformation and an opportunity for greater collaboration in the future.
While the in-country visit to Albania wrapped up the Western Balkans tour for 2023, in 2024, the project will continue on its mission and is already hard at work preparing its visits to Kosovo and Montenegro.
The Project Strengthening Societal Resilience and Countering Disinformation in the Western Balkans is funded by the National Endowment for Democracy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia through development cooperation funds.
13. 12. 2023 | Bled Strategic Forum, POTC, PR
On Tuesday, December 12th, the Centre for European Perspective (CEP) hosted a roundtable discussion titled ‘The Republic of Slovenia as a Non-Permanent Member of the UN Security Council 2024–2025: Streamlining our Approach Toward Common Objectives.’ The event took place at Jable Castle.
The discussion highlighted Slovenia’s commitment to four key priority areas during its presidency: 1) proactive measures for conflict prevention; 2) ensuring the protection of civilians in times of armed conflicts; 3) advancing the cause of women, peace, and security; and 4) addressing the intricate relationship between climate, peace, and security. These areas of emphasis were carefully chosen based on existing needs and unanswered questions, illuminating persisting challenges that demand ongoing attention.
Roundtable’s Key Contributors
Nina Čepon, Executive Director of CEP, commenced the event with introductory remarks. She expressed gratitude to all attendees for their presence and subsequently provided insights into CEP’s initiatives. Her remarks touched upon diverse projects, ranging from collaborations with Ukraine and the Western Balkans to addressing misinformation, building capacities for peacekeeping and engaging in projects involving artificial intelligence.
Following Ms. Čepon’s introductory remarks, Mr Peter Grk, Secretary General of the Bled Strategic Forum and National Coordinator for the Western Balkans at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia, skillfully guided the conversation with a panel of five speakers. Setting the stage, Mr. Flavio Milan from the Federal Department for Foreign Affairs of Switzerland, heading UN coordination and serving as deputy head of the UN division in Bern, shared opening insights. His unique perspective, rooted in Switzerland’s precedence over Slovenia in the United Nations Security Council, offered valuable insights and experiences. In light of unfolding global events, Mr. Milan acknowledged the challenges anticipated in the upcoming year.
The subsequent contributors included Mr Matej Marn, Head of the UN Security Council Task Force at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia; Ms Sabina Stadler Repnik, Head of the Strategic Studies and Analyses Service at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia; Dr Ljubica Jelušič, Professor at the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Social Sciences; and Mr Samo Selimović, Coordinator of the Peace Operations Training Centre (POTC).
Roundtable’s Conclusions
The roundtable also served as an opportunity to map out other Slovenian actors – NGOs, Institutes and research organisations – to present their activities, aligned with the Slovenian priorities and provide ideas on future collaboration with the Slovenian government within these topics.
The dialogue, alongside the panellists, reached a consensus on the challenging times anticipated ahead. Despite Slovenia’s relatively small size, the prevailing sentiment was that size should not be a limiting factor. The collective commitment urged the pursuit of peace while remaining steadfast in upholding core values.
We want to thank the panellists, representatives of various Slovenian NGOs and institutes, and the numerous audience members who contributed to the successful and engaging roundtable. Even though our traditional pre-holiday roundtables were halted during the COVID-19 pandemic, we will strive to continue with this tradition and offer you insight into another relevant topic next year.
7. 12. 2023 | PR, Strengthening Societal Resilience and Countering Foreign Perpetrated Disinformation in 6 Western Balkans Countries
Za branje prispevka v slovenščini kliknite tukaj.
Project Strengthening Societal Resilience and Countering Disinformation in the Western Balkans is continuing its in-country visits to the Western Balkans, with a visit to Tirana, Albania, on 15 December 2023.
The tailor-made program will address the most relevant issues for Albania when it comes to countering foreign-perpetrated disinformation. It will consider the inputs of national working groups from our regional capacity-building conference in Portorož in June this year. Joined by local and international experts and practitioners, we will discuss the challenges and priorities in this field, the role of countering disinformation in the EU accession process, the needs and opportunities of incorporating fact-checking in journalistic work, and how to make a strategic use of the media landscape to strengthen societal resilience.
The event is open to representatives of government, media, civil society, academia, the international community and all other interested members of the public.
If you would like to join, you can register your attendance at this link.
The Project Strengthening Societal Resilience and Countering Disinformation in the Western Balkans is funded by the National Endowment for Democracy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia through development cooperation funds.
