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.
5. 12. 2023 | PR, Regional cooperation
Centre for European Perspective cordially invites you to a roundtable discussion
The Republic of Slovenia as a Non-Permanent Member of the UN Security Council 2024–2025: Streamlining our Approach Toward Common Objectives
on
Tuesday, 12 December 2023, 11:00 – 12:30 CET
Jable Castle
On 6 June 2023, the Republic of Slovenia was elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in the period 2024-2025 with 153 votes of support. In the upcoming two-year period, Slovenian priorities will encompass conflict prevention, protection of civilians in armed conflicts, women, peace and security, and climate, peace and security. The successful election is only the beginning of our hard work towards the common goal of preserving peace and security. To face the challenges, streamlining the approach of various Slovenian actors working in relevant areas will be crucial.
The roundtable will serve as an opportunity to
- strengthen awareness among the professional public on the priority objectives set out for the future role of the Republic of Slovenia within the UNSC
- reinforce the current national policy debate on the objectives and expected results of the Republic of Slovenia as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council 2024–2025
- provide additional perspectives, including from other comparable European countries who have held the non-permanent UNSC seat
- map out actors in Slovenian space who are not part of the Slovenian government but in their work focus on topics relevant to Slovenia’s priority areas of action during its non-permanent seat so they could provide additional substantive support to the Slovenian governmental team working on the non-permanent seat during the upcoming two years.
Opening remarks:
- Ms Nina Čepon, CEP Executive Director
Introductory remarks:
- Mr Flavio Milan, Deputy Head of UN Division, Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), Switzerland (current non-permanent member of the UNSC) (online contribution)
Speakers:
- Mr Matej Marn, Head of the UN Security Council Task Force, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia
- Ms Sabina Stadler Repnik, Head of the Strategic Studies and Analyses Service, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia
- Dr Ljubica Jelušič, professor at the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Social Sciences
- Mr Samo Selimović, Peace Operations Training Centre (POTC) Coordinator
Moderated by Mr Peter Grk, Secretary General of the Bled Strategic Forum, National Coordinator for the Western Balkans, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia.
Register HERE.
Following the roundtable discussion, you are kindly invited to join us at the pre-holiday banquet at Jable Castle.
1. 12. 2023 | Macedonia - Finance, PR, Regional cooperation, Slovenian Development Assistance
Kliknite tukaj za branje prispevka v slovenskem jeziku.
The fight against organised crime and corruption is one of North Macedonia’s strategic priorities, and progress in this area is also expected from the EU. Macedonian investigative and prosecuting authorities are also committed to making progress in this direction and are actively working to improve their competence and skills in the field of financial investigations. In this respect, they rely, inter alia, on the expertise provided by the Republic of Slovenia under the International Development Cooperation Programme through the project ” Support in Chapter 24 – Financial investigations”.
As part of this project, this year’s third consultation took place in North Macedonia from 27 to 29 November 2023, followed by a second workshop from 29 November to 1 December 2023 for representatives of the Macedonian institutions responsible for financial investigations.
The consultations in Skopje were attended by 19 representatives from the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Ministry of the Interior, the Financial Police, the Customs Administration, and the Health Insurance Institute, while 11 representatives from the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Ministry of the Interior and the Financial Police participated in the workshops that followed in Veles. Thematically, the activities addressed topics and dilemmas related to their current cases and were designed according to their real needs in carrying out financial investigations and confiscating assets of illicit origin and proceeds of crime.
During the activities, Slovenian experts in the field of conducting financial investigations shared their experiences with the Macedonian participants from the perspective of the role of the prosecutor’s office, from the perspective of valuing and calculating assets of illicit origin, and from the perspective of implementation and coordination of the criminal investigation of proceeds of crime.
During the consultations and workshops, Slovenian experts acknowledged the progress made in developing the capacity of Macedonian investigative and law enforcement authorities to carry out financial investigations and assured them that they could rely on their continued assistance along the way.
The assistance will be implemented again by the end of this year in the form of a new workshop and consultations. The third workshop of this year will take place in North Macedonia from 11 to 13 December 2023, followed by the fourth consultation of this year on strengthening the capacity of Macedonian institutions to carry out financial investigations from 19 to 21 December.
Further information:
Milanka Ilić
Project Manager
Centre for European Perspective
Activities are funded by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and the Republic of Slovenia through its International Development Cooperation Programme and implemented in cooperation with the State Prosecution, Ministry of the Interior, and the Police of the Republic of Slovenia.
27. 11. 2023 | Bled Strategic Forum, PR
CEP is looking for a dynamic and resourceful individual willing to join Bled Strategic Forum team and contribute to the success of the leading conference in Central and South-Eastern Europe and other BSF events.
Are you ready to take on a pivotal role in the execution of the leading conference in the region? We are currently seeking a dedicated Project Assistant to join Bled Strategic Forum team at CEP.
Responsibilities will include:
Assistance in coordinating and planning project activities of the Bled Strategic Forum
Coordination and collaboration with international partners.
Coordination of the Bled Strategic Forum.
Communication with Slovenian and foreign participants.
Collaboration with Slovenian and Foreign Experts.
Assistance in the preparation of reports.
Other works and tasks as per instructions.
More information as well as possibility for the application can be found here.
27. 11. 2023 | PR, Regional cooperation
Centre for European Perspective helped in the organisation of the ‘WB3C Training for CISOs of Critical Infrastructure in the Western Balkans’.
On 21 and 22 November, a ‘WB3C Training for CISOs of Critical Infrastructure in the Western Balkans’ took place in Podgorica, Montenegro. The training was organised within the framework of Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C) by the Information Security Office of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia with the assistance of the Centre for European Perspective. CEP has a well-established track record in organizing trainings. The expertise accumulated through its work contributes to the successful and seamless execution of training programs.
The training brought together 19 participants dealing with information security in critical infrastructure from the countries of the Western Balkans. During the two days of training, the participants attended workshops and presentations dealing with a vast array of topics, ranging from mapping the biggest cybersecurity threats, essential prerequisites for raising the level of cyber security in critical infrastructure organisations and government bodies, post-quantum cryptography, new obligations arising from the EU’s NIS2 Directive to CISO networks that the participants can join.
27. 11. 2023 | PR, Regional cooperation, Slovenian Development Assistance, U-LEAD: with Europe
Mentees from Drohobych, representatives of the Municipality of Hrastnik and CEP have kicked off the three-week mentorships under the auspices of the project ‘Post-conflict reconstruction in Ukraine’ today.
The mentorship visit of Drohobych Urban Hromada was kickstarted today in Hrastnik and hosted by Hrastnik Mayor Marko Funkl. This core activity of the project “Post-Conflict Reconstruction in Ukraine” contributes to the processes of the long-term partnership between Drohobych and Hrastnik, which is focused on development, modernization, and reform. An intensive 2-week working visit will contribute to transferring targeted and needs-based knowledge and deliver sustainable results, working toward a long-term partnership between the partner municipalities.
The opening session was followed by the first interactive workshop on project management, one of the main topics of the mentorship contributing to strengthening institutional capacities of the hromada in the field of project planning and obtaining external funding. Joining us from Drohobych are Ms Olha Bunda and Yurii Yatskiv, who will receive targeted knowledge of Hrastnik’s experience and good practice on topics of high priority for Drohobych – housing policy, waste management and tourism development. With the assistance of CEP, the visit will enable kick-starting the development of several projects, including in the fields where Drohobych and Hrastnik have previously focused their partnership.
With a rich side programme, Hrastnik will also present successful cohesion projects in practice.
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, Sweden, Poland and Slovenia to support the establishment of multi-level governance that is transparent, accountable and responsive to the needs of the population of Ukraine.
