22. 10. 2018 | PR, THINK Initiative
“How can the EU and Central and Eastern European countries address the challenges and opportunities created by regional and bilateral CEEC-China cooperation in the context of the 16+1 Platform?” The question is at the centre of the research that is conducted by the Centre for European Perspective in cooperation with CASE Poland and Centre for European Policy, Belgrade in the framework of “THINK Initiative”, a platform to spark and lead the discussion about proactive strategies for the EU and neighbouring regions. The Initiative brings to the debate a young, creative, and academic perspective and its goal is to bring together researchers, public, and private actors to develop joint strategies and common responses.
Central and Eastern European countries, included in the “16+1 Platform”, are lacking both a national and a common foreign policy strategy towards China. The EU is also lacking its own comprehensive strategy to address the influence of China in the CEE region. A challenge in the existing literature is the scarcity of comprehensive academic assessments of the relations between the CEE countries and China.
The goal of this research is to propose recommendations for an overarching coordinated political response to Chinese actors in the CEE region. The recommendations will be focused on addressing opportunities and threats stemming out of the Belt and Road Initiative for the individual CEE countries, CEE as a Platform and EU as a unit. So far the research team has developed 4 scenarios as illustration of the spectrum of possible future developments allowing policy makers to make informed strategic decisions and anticipate surprises. Each scenario is supported by few of overall 11 hypotheses, focused on (1) results of the 16+1 Platform, (2) importance of the CEE region for China, (3) benefits of the 16+1 Platform, (4) 16+1 Platform in relation to Europe n (its strategic importance for future cohesion and cooperation in Europe and EU)
The study enables the CEE and the EU to coordinate their foreign policy on China in order to strengthen their strategic position in relation to the Belt and Road Initiative. The study provides analytical support to business and financial decision-makers, as well as It advances the political and academic discourse on the future of relations between the CEE countries, (the EU) and China.
Find more details in the executive summary here:
THINK Initiative – Executive Summary (16+1 Platform)
22. 10. 2018 | HEAT, PR, Security
Civilians deployed in missions abroad can be subjected to potentially dangerous working conditions and hazardous situations. It is essential for them to be aware of the risks and challenges such a workplace embodies. That is precisely the focus point of the Hostile Environment Awareness Training (HEAT), as it aims to educate civil experts on a wide range of topics and equip them to be more suited for the challenges that may occur in a conflict area. Three day training was organised by the Centre for European Perspective (CEP) in cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Slovenia, Slovenian Police and Slovenian Armed Forces.
This year’s HEAT took place between the 16th and the 18th of October, and was organised in the Police training facility Gotenica, as it includes all the capabilities needed for a successful training. The event brought together 16 participants from three countries, representatives from the Slovene police force and Slovenian Armed Forces, other civil and security experts and a wide range of volunteers helping in the concluding simulation.
The participants were a part of a simulated European Union mission from their first step in the training, and worked together to resolve the crisis situation happening on their doorstep. They were subjected to multiple challenges that tested their experience in theory and practice. Working in smaller groups, participants improved their team dynamics, while their physical and cognitive capabilities were challenged to the breaking point by different circumstances, no different from a potential real mission. They were included in presentations, workshop and practical exercises on the topic of their personal security in the field, orientation skills, medical assistance, communication skills and many other useful technical capabilities. The peak of the training was a simulation with different scenarios that encompassed all the knowledge gained throughout the past days.
The training successfully concluded on Thursday evening with an evaluation session of the gained experience and a closing ceremony, also attended by Mr Vladimir Pocek, Head of Division for International Police Operations of the Slovenian Police. The participants all successfully finished the course and are equipped with new experiences, techniques and knowledge that will, if needed, prove to be beneficial to their current or future work posts.
16. 10. 2018 | LET4CAP, PR
Centre for European Perspective has successfully co-organized second “Mentoring, Monitoring & Advising (MMA)” course that was held in Slupsk (Poland) at a Polish Police School from 8th to 12th October 2018. CEP has actively participated in evaluating the training, in order to improve the course agenda and overall development of the project.
LET4CAP is a project funded by the EU within the framework of the Internal Security Fund with the objective to foster a process of harmonization of training for Law Enforcement Officers (LEOs) to perform capacity building tasks in third countries and to create a common Law Enforcement capacity building culture founded on EU fundamental values.
The Project is implemented by a consortium that includes two law enforcement agencies (the Center of Excellence for Stability Police Units of the Italian Carabinieri and the Polish Police), two centres of excellence in research and training, namely the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies (Italy) and the Centre for European Perspective (Slovenia) and one Italian governmental agency specialised in project management of EU funds (Studiare Sviluppo).
The training programme is based upon a preliminary desk research, good practices and lessons learnt in the field of the existing law enforcement capacity building. All training materials will be consolidated after the four training courses in e-learning tools disseminated via institutional channels and the project website. More info on the project is available at: http://www.let4cap.eu/
Third training will be held in Vicenza (Italy) 26th – 30th November, 2018.
16. 10. 2018 | Bled Strategic Forum, PR
CEP Project Manager Meliha Muherina has moderated a round table at 1st “VOICE UP” Western Balkans Youth Forum organized by Western Balkans Youth Cooperation Platform (WBYCP). WBYCP is a grassroots regional youth platform implemented by Cooperation and Development Institute (CDI), together with the umbrella youth organizations of the Six Western Balkans countries: National Youth Congress of Albania, National Youth Council of Macedonia, National Youth Council of Serbia, High School Students Union of Montenegro, Central Youth Action Council of Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina Association for United Nations, and with the support of Hanns Seidel Foundation.
With the aim to promote youth connectivity in the Balkans, WBYCP offers a unique and tailor-made space to youngsters from the region where they meet, plan, organise, implement and voice up their action. In WBYCP youngsters can find partners for joint activities, design and implement joint initiatives, exchange ideas, consult a youth library, and built and carry outreach and lobbying action. WBYCP is designed to function as a resource center for youth in the Western Balkans.
In the framework of its 2018 activities plan, WBYCP has organized two events on 9-12 October:
Youth Exchange Programme was organized from 9-11 October. It was execution of an outreach phase of the essay competition titled “Three reasons to stay in my country” launched by WBYCP in June 2018. 12 best essay authors have been invited to share and discuss youth emigration, its implications for the youngsters and the region, the necessary policy measures and actions to stem the loss of human capital and reverse it. WBYCP partner organizations and other stakeholders working with youth topics in the region and in EU have joined the debate. In the course of two days, the discussants unfold the ideas and issues expressed in the submitted essays which have been identified as some of the most pressing issues of Western Balkans Youth: (i) Education and Youth Employment; (ii) Youth role in WB6 institutional Governance and Policy Making.
WBYCP Forum was organized on October 12 and offered a discussion space where youngsters built up a common position and voiced up their shared understanding of present and future challenges, together with required action. They had the opportunity to discuss them with policymakers and other youth stakeholders in the region. A WB6 Youth Statement on Youth Migration in WB6 was drafted and submitted to the relevant decision-making actors. Instead of focusing on problem solving, the forum promoted positive examples of young people mobility – geographical and career-wise, experiences of building build social capital, successful actions of committed young citizen, and other beautiful and inspiring life experiences of Balkan youth.
15. 10. 2018 | Macedonia - Finance, PR, Slovenian Development Assistance
Suggestions on how to make advancements in financial investigations as well as seizures of proceeds of criminal offences and property of illegal origin were identified and discussed within the workshop and presentations to the relevant heads of Macedonian institutions, which were taking place from 4 to 5 October 2018 in Skopje.
Among jointly defined suggestions, for which Macedonia expressed expectations for Slovenia to continue its development support, were:
- To further develop capacities and determine the discrepancies between real income and actual spending of offenders;
- to get acquainted with practices and systems to initiate parallel financial investigations together with the crime investigations;
- to obtain assistance on how to plan and determine outcome indicators such as numbers of initiated financial investigations and to define what resources are needed to achieve planned results;
- to get support to familiarise the personnel and maximise their contribution to the strategic goals;
- and to analyse and learn from cases and court rulings to effectively built prosecution cases, which will be result in the seizure of proceeds of crime as well as property of illegal origin.
The need to increase awareness and importance of supporting initiatives to conduct financial investigations and implementation of current Macedonian legislation to initiate the procedures regarding extended confiscation, was identified. In addition, the necessity to continue with strengthening inter-sectoral cooperation was emphasized.
The fact that heads of nearly all institutions in Republic of Macedonia, who are involved in financial investigations or who contribute to financial investigations with their data, responded and participated in the workshop gives a positive impetus for further development of the development cooperation in the area.
The joint message of the Ministry of Interior, Public Prosecutor’s Office, Financial Police Administration, Public Revenue Office, Customs Administration, Financial Intelligence Office, Central Register, Health Insurance Fund, Civilian Aviation Agency and Central Securities Depository was they want to continue to work with Slovenia on the development of the Macedonian system of financial investigations and seizures of property with illegal origin since “such crimes do not and should not pay off”.
This two-year project (2017-2018) is part of program activities implemented in the cooperation with the State Prosecution Office for Organized Crime and Corruption and Ministry of Interior/ Police of the Republic of Slovenia and financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia in the framework of Slovenia’s Development Cooperation.
