4. 4. 2024 | Decentralisation, Economic development, local self-government, PR, Regional cooperation, Slovenian Development Assistance, U-LEAD: with Europe, Ukraine, Waste management
Več o aktivnostih v slovenskem jeziku najdete tukaj.
This sunny Thursday, the municipality of Idrija hosted the final event of the mentorship visit under the auspices of the project ‘Post-conflict reconstruction in Ukraine’.
The mentorship visit between Idrija and Pereschepinska focused on strengthening the heritage protection capacities of Pereschepinska hromada and the establishment of a waste management system in Pereschepinska and the sub-region. It took place from 20 March to 4 April 2024 and signals the end of the fourth mentorship visit between Slovenian and Ukrainian municipalities. Joining the mentorship in Idrija were Mr Iaroslav Tsvirkun, Mayor of Pereschepinska hromada and Ms Svitlana Bulava, Head of the Sector for Investments at Pereschepinska hromada. They were mentored by the municipality of Idrija mentor, Ms Lenka Grošelj and Mr Matevž Straus, Director of ID20 Institute.
Opening the Thursday final event at the castle Gewerkenegg in Idrija was Ms Jelka Klemenc, CEP Senior Advisor, who introduced the Slovenian Aid and Partnerships project and thanked both municipalities for the excellent work over the three weeks. Continuing was the Mayor of Idrija, Mr Tomaž Vencelj, who expressed strong support for the project and thanked the involved partners and experts, who aided the successful conclusion of the project. Mayor Vencelj also expressed the willingness for further cooperation between Idrija and Pereschepinska, signalling the openness for the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Idrija and Pereschepinska, where additional possible fields of cooperation could be expressed.
Speaking on behalf of the Pereschepinska mentees was the Mayor, Mr Iaroslav Tsvirkun, who thanked the municipality of Idrija and its mentors for excellent support and warm welcome, adding that their shared knowledge and willingness to help was crucial for the preparation of the project drafts. He also thanked all involved organisations, the organising team at CEP and the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs for their support. Continuing on, he presented the three weeks of mentorship and the two project drafts that were prepared during the mentorship visit. The drafts presented are a strong basis for the future cooperation between Idrija and Pereschepinska, especially in terms of natural and cultural heritage protection.
In the first week, mentees from Pereschepinska focused on building upon their knowledge of project management, project writing, and project funding with the help of CEP expert, Mr Klemen Srna.
The second week focused on heritage protection and waste management. Idrija, known for its excellent heritage protection and preservation projects, prepared a rich programme for mentees. It included site visits and presentations from Idrija ID20 Institute, Institute Dobra pot, Idrija Youth Centre, Šturmajce farm, Idrija Geopark, and Idrija Mercury Heritage Management Centre. Here, mentees learned more about heritage protection projects, UNESCO, funding possibilities, cooperation between the municipality and NGOs in the region, and more. Discussions with the municipality and Idrijsko-Cerkljanska Regional Development Agency highlighted possible energy efficiency projects connected to waste management and heritage protection. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the conversations and site visits turned to waste management and environment protection, with presentations on the Slovenian waste management system by CEP. Following was an important site visit to the Utility Company Idrija, where Idrija’s waste management system was presented in practice. On Wednesday, mentors and mentees visited RCERO Waste Management Centre Ljubljana, the biggest environmental project in Slovenia supported by the Cohesion Fund. It is the most modern facility for waste treatment in Europe and processes waste from more than a third of Slovenia.
The third week focused on the preparation of a project concept for the development of a heritage protection projects and waste management system in Pereschepinska municipality. Mentees were aided by CEP expert, Ms Slavka Zupan and Mr Matevž Straus and prepared a well-elaborated concept.
The mentorship concluded today with an internal debrief between CEP, mentors, and mentees, followed by a the closing event and the presentation of the mentorship results and projects drafts prepared during the mentorship visit. The plans will be elaborated and finalized during the project until its end in 2024, while initial activities have already begun during the mentorship visit in Idrija.
The Slovenian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs representative, Ms Mateja Urbanija, Ms Natalia Markevych Pritsa from the Embassy of Ukraine to Slovenia, Mr Lovro Klinar from the European Commission Representation in Slovenia. Media representatives, and representatives of organisations in Idrija involved in the activities joined the closing event.
The ‘Post-conflict reconstruction in Ukraine’ project is funded by the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs through the Slovenian Aid and Partnerships and implemented in partnership with ‘U-LEAD with Europe’. U-LEAD with Europe programme is a partnership of the Ukrainian government and the European Union, and its member states Germany, Poland, Denmark and Slovenia, to support the establishment of multi-level governance that is transparent, accountable and responsive to the needs of the population of Ukraine.
3. 4. 2024 | EUCTI, POTC, PR
Kliknite tukaj za branje članka v slovenskem jeziku.
The Peace Operations Training Centre (POTC), in partnership with the European Union Civilian Training Initiative (EUCTI), is excited to announce an upcoming Cultural Heritage Protection (CHP) Online Workshop, scheduled for April 25 via Zoom. This workshop is specifically designed to meet the needs of members of the EU Mission in Armenia (EUM Armenia) and European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM Georgia)—in this regard, it is a unique joint training opportunity for mission members in Armenia and Georgia.
The workshop aims to equip participants with enhanced understanding and capabilities in CHP, particularly focusing on community outreach and interpersonal communication.
This collaborative effort on the Cultural Heritage Protection Workshop reflects a commitment to meeting the evolving needs of mission members and ensuring their effectiveness in safeguarding cultural heritage.
For more information about the training and more, you can follow us on social media:
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2. 4. 2024 | PR, Regional cooperation, Slovenian Development Assistance, Strategic Communication, Strengthening Societal Resilience and Countering Foreign Perpetrated Disinformation in 6 Western Balkans Countries
Več o projektnih aktivnostih v slovenskem jeziku najdete tu.
Our Strengthening Societal Resilience and Countering Foreign Perpetrated Disinformation in the Western Balkans project is slowly coming to an end. We are organising the last event, the third regional capacity-building training, in this project’s circle. It will take place online next week, from April 9 to 11, 2024. As usual, it will gather civil society, media, and government representatives from all six Western Balkan Countries, who will together address the issue of disinformation in the region and work on how to counter it.
The first regional training, held in November 2022, focused on identifying and understanding disinformation and its impact. The second one, held in June 2023, focused on equipping participants with tools and tactics to help them detect and, timely and effectively react to disinformation; the third one will focus on response methodologies and partnership building. Throughout the program, participants will work on defining national response methodology and learn about opportunities and obstacles with the aim of drafting national proposals to counter disinformation. Next, they will discover ways of building partnerships to ensure long-term success in combating disinformation. We will also talk about worldwide known good practices and dedicate one full day to focus on the specific challenges in the region – country by country. Led by leading experts in this space, the sessions will include practical exercises to provide tangible, workable solutions for participants.
The project will conclude almost all its activities with this regional capacity-building training. The only one left is publication, which is already in its final stage and will be published next month!
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.
28. 3. 2024 | Peace and security, POTC, PR
Varnostno usposabljanje za diplomatsko osebje se bo odvilo 29. maja na Gradu Jable
Click here to read this article in English.
Peace Operations Training Centre (POTC) v sodelovanju z Oddelkom za varnostno načrtovanja v Službi za varnost, nepremičnine in logistiko organizira pilotno Varnostno usposabljanje za diplomatsko osebje. Usposabljanje bo potekalo v sredo, 29. maja 2024 na Gradu Jable.
Varnostno usposabljanje je namenjeno vsem profesionalnim diplomatom, ki jih RS napotuje v države z nizko stopnjo varnostnega tveganja in nimajo predhodnega znanja s področja zagotavljanja osebne varnosti.
Po uspešno zaključeni udeležbi bodo udeleženci sposobni prepoznati različne varnostne grožnje, razumeti osnove varnostnih postopkov in protokolov na DKP, poznati osnove ravnanja v spremenjenih varnostnih razmerah na DKP in na poti, prepoznavati aktivnosti nadzora, uporabljati ukrepe za zmanjšanje varnostnih tveganj ter uporabiti ukrepe in metode za zmanjševanje stresa v visoko stresnih situacijah.
Registracija je obvezna. Registrirate se TUKAJ najkasneje do 19. maja 2024.
Vse dodatne informacije o usposabljanju lahko preberete TUKAJ.
Če imate dodatna vprašanja, nas kontaktirajte preko [email protected].
Za več informacij o usposabljanju in še več nas lahko spremljate na družbenih omrežjih:
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26. 3. 2024 | HEAT, POTC, PR
The Peace Operations Training Centre (POTC) is organising a Hostile Environment Awareness Training (HEAT). The course will take place at the Gotenica Police Training Centre in Slovenia from Sunday, 2nd to Friday, 7th, June, 2024.
Kliknite tukaj za branje članka v slovenskem jeziku.
HEAT’s purpose is to train professionals to deal effectively with risk-associated and emergency/critical situations while deployed in hostile environments abroad.
Up to 25 professionals with different backgrounds who work or aim to work with national or international (non)governmental organizations, the academic or private sector, are eligible to apply for participation in the training.
The participants will join an experienced group of Slovenian and foreign trainers for a five-day intensive course in the southwestern part of Slovenia. The training is designed to:
- improve participants’ knowledge about multiple threats present in hostile field environments and learn how to deal with them in an effective manner.
- rehearse and practice safety and security procedures according to specific threats,
- and develop skills and behaviours to deal with different stressful situations.
Activities include lectures, guided discussions, role-playing, simulations, and a complex field training exercise. Trainees will be addressing deployment in hostile environments (threat awareness, management of various threats, etc.), medical help, orientation, communications, mobility, etc.
You can find all the information regarding the registration process and the training delivery here.
Apply to HEAT here: Application Form (open until May 5th – extension to May 15th)
For more information about the training and more, you can follow us on social media:
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26. 3. 2024 | PR, Transformative Power of Digital
The Centre for European Perspective is launching a new publication, “Improving Europe’s Competitiveness: Role of Open Markets, Emerging Technologies, and Strategic Alliances,” which explores the critical role of AI and emerging technologies in bolstering the EU’s competitiveness.
The publication will be officially launched following a breakfast discussion organised in cooperation with the European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE).
The breakfast discussion will take place on Monday, 8th April 2024 at 09:00, at the Palace of the Academies, Rubens Hall.
Registration for the breakfast discussion is now open. You are kindly invited to join us. Please register here.
The publication and the breakfast discussion explore how can the EU increase its competitiveness by taking advantage of emerging technologies, open markets and strategic alliances.
The COVID-19 pandemic served as a stark wake-up call, emphasising the urgent need for the EU to improve its resilience against crises. Two years later, with the Russian aggression against Ukraine, the focus of the EU shifted towards urgent improvements to EU’s security. Now, as we stand on the brink of a new era dominated by Artificial Intelligence, our focus is shifting towards enhancing the EU’s competitiveness.
AI and other emerging technologies have the power to accelerate economic growth and reshape industries in profound and unprecedented ways. If the EU is to be a global economic powerhouse, it will have to wholeheartedly embrace the vast potential of AI. The EU’s commitment to embracing AI and other emerging technologies will have to be reflected in substantial investments in research and development, a forward-thinking regulatory environment that fosters innovation while ensuring ethical standards as well as safe and trustworthy technology, and a robust infrastructure that supports the growth of AI technologies and their implementation.
At the discussion and in the event, we will tackle the following question: Is the EU prepared and capable of taking full advantage of the opportunities that the AI revolution is offering? What is holding the EU back, and what are its strengths that can be tapped into? What is the role of open markets in improving Europe’s competitiveness? Developing trustworthy and safe AI demands a collaborative global effort–how and when should the EU engage with international partners to maintain its competitive edge?
