16. 5. 2022 | European Digital Diplomacy Exchange, PR
After four sunny though intense days filled with lectures, workshops, simulation exercises as well as social activities a new generation of European Digital Diplomacy Exchange (EDDE) participants was born. From 10 to 13 May the communicators from different ministries from several countries gathered in Bled, Slovenia to improve their digital communication skills. The training was organized by the Centre for European Perspective together with the U.S. Department of State.
European Digital Diplomacy Exchange is a project as well as an intragovernmental network of government communicators. The project goes back to 2017 when the first training was organized. The overall project aims to increase participants’ and members’ collective capacities to operate within the digital information space effectively.
This year the training was attended by 35 participants from 16 countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Estonia, Georgia, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine).
Held by respective experts in their field, the lectures and workshops covered topics such as the development of new digital technologies and their impact on communication and public diplomacy, social media analytics and how to use data for your advantage, fight against disinformation, smartphone videography and photography, development of digital campaigns and much more. Equipped with new knowledge the participants were given a fictitious scenario for which they had to prepare a communication strategy.
Besides attaining new knowledge and skills, the participants had a chance to meet and befriend their peers also working in the field of (digital) communication. Networking and the creation of long-lasting bonds among the participants is one of the main added values of EDDE.
The end of the EDDE training was further celebrated with the release of a long-awaited guide for digital diplomacy practitioners – Be a Digital Diplomat. The publication will be publicly released soon – follow CEP’s website for more information.
9. 5. 2022 | PR, Serbia - management of patrols
Klikni tukaj za več o projektu v slovenščini 
Building capacities for the management of patrols in Serbia is an example of Slovenia’s admirable international development cooperation with Serbia, which has been ongoing for several years. In the EU accession process and implementing reforms also in the field of police work, Serbia is already making progress, with the help of Slovenia, in the more coordinated work of police officers on the ground, which enables them to respond more effectively to people’s needs and at the same time provide them with greater security when performing police tasks.
After Slovenia recently successfully provided expert assistance during a field visit to Serbia, the cooperation continues with a study visit of a group of leading representatives of organizational units of Serbian police administrations in Slovenia. The study visit will take place from 16 to 22 May 2022 and will be the opportunity for Serbian colleagues to get acquainted with the work of patrols of all police powers and exchange experiences with Slovenian colleagues in the field of the police administrations of Novo mesto, Ljubljana, Koper and the Motorway Police.
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 Ministry of the Interior and the Police of the Republic of Slovenia.
Further information:
Andreja Dolničar Jeraj
Programme Director
Centre for European Perspective
6. 5. 2022 | European Digital Diplomacy Exchange, PR
In 2019 one of the first European Digital Diplomacy Exchange training was held in Bled, Slovenia. Now, three years later the training will once again take place at the same location. From 10 to 13 May 2022 a new generation of EDDE participants will get a chance to improve their knowledge and skills in the field of digital communication. The training is organized by the Centre for European Perspective together with the U.S. Department of State.
Since 2017 the European Digital Diplomacy Exchange has grown into a wide intragovernmental network of government communicators. The aim of the network and the overall project is to increase the collective capacities of its members in order for them to effectively operate within the digital information space.
Over four days of training 35 participants from 16 countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Estonia, Georgia, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine) will gain theoretical as well as practical knowledge on digital communication. The topics covered at the workshops will range from the advance of digital technologies and their impact on communication and public diplomacy, digital rhetoric, and working with influencers to smartphone photography and videography.
25. 4. 2022 | PR, Youth
Photos by Marko Arandjelović
Communication is an intrinsic part of our life, be it professional or personal. It is not only about transferring information, but it is an interactive process that requires knowledge and specific skills. To effectively communicate, stakeholders need to attain in-depth and applicable communication knowledge, skills, and tools. This is the main goal of EUSAIR Communication Academy which started last week.
EUSAIR Communication Academy is a capacity building programme for EUSAIR Government communicators, EUSAIR Key implementers, and youth participants. The Academy is composed of three modules that will take place in 2022. The project is a result of cooperation between the EUSAIR Facility Point Lead Partner and the Centre for European Perspective.
EUSAIR (EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region) is a Macro-regional Strategy joining 10 countries striving to find solutions for common challenges in the common sea basins and its hinterlands. The Strategy joins EU Member states and non-EU Member states working together as equal partners. In this process, cooperation is not only one of the main objectives but is a means to achieve the Strategy’s aims. Cooperation cannot take place without communication.
Between 19 and 22 April Module I of EUSAIR Communication Academy took place online. On the first two days, it was attended by 50 participants: government communicators from EUSAIR states and EUSAIR key implementers. On the following two days, it was attended by a group of 25 youth participants from the EUSAIR countries that share an interest in EUSAIR and macroregional cooperation and strive to improve their communication skills. Each day the participants attended several different workshops and trainings focused on the foundations of communication. They learned about key aspects of communication, the main principles of good internal communication, the importance of digital communication, the difference between traditional media tools and new media tools and much more.
The Academy will continue with online Module II in the last week of May and conclude with an in-person training in October.
21. 4. 2022 | PR, Serbia - management of patrols
Klikni tukaj za več o projektu v slovenščini
Serbia has recently invested heavily in its police force, as the effective functioning of the police, as well as other rule of law bodies, especially with regard to migration and the fight against crime, which is not just in Serbia’s best interest, but it is also one of the basic requirements for EU membership. In the area of strengthening capacities for management of patrols for effective response in the field, Serbia has been working successfully with Slovenia through the international development cooperation programme.
Within the framework of this cooperation, a second field visit was held between 11 and 17 April 2022 in support of the system for the management of patrols in Serbia. It took place on the territory of the organisational units of the Police Administrations of Užice, Novi Pazar, Zaječar, Požarevac, Pančevo and Sremska Mitrovica as well as the police units of the Border Police Administration at the border crossing points with Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Bulgaria and Romania.
The field visit was an opportunity to review the implementation of the changes made so far and to discuss further improvements as well as provide advice on EU experience and standards in the organisational units already involved in the system for management of patrols. For those organisational units that are just joining the system, the visit was an opportunity to review the conditions for joining, carry out a preliminary consultation and to agree on the dynamics of integration.
The second field visit confirmed that strengthening the management capacity of the border, general and traffic police patrols is progressing well towards the goal of better responsiveness in protecting and assisting people, in particular, vulnerable groups; better coordination of police work in the field, including in the response to migration and in the fight against organised crime; and better protection of police officers in the performance of their duties.
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 Ministry of the Interior and the Police of the Republic of Slovenia.
Further information:
Andreja Dolničar Jeraj
Programme Director
Centre for European Perspective
11. 4. 2022 | PR
Photo by Urša Rahne
Last Friday, on 8 April, the Executive Director of the Centre for European Perspective (CEP) Katja Geršak actively participated in an expert panel on European Cooperation in the Western Balkans (WB). The panel was part of a working seminar, organized within the scope of the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union and with the help of the French Embassy in Slovenia, it was done in cooperation with the Centre of Excellence in Finance (CEF) in Ljubljana.
The panel was organized as part of the preparation for the Conference on Western Balkans in June 2022. It was organized for the diplomatic community – ambassadors from EU member states and from WB countries. Panelists presented their activities implemented in the region which was proceeded by a discussion on possible ways to enhance regional cooperation and cooperation of EU stakeholders to help advance development and EU integration in the region.
Concrete experiences of EU-Western Balkans cooperation were presented by three panelists from three organizations:
- Francesco Ferrero from European Investment Bank (EIB)
- Jana Repanšek, executive director of CEF
- Katja Geršak, executive director of CEP
CEP has been traditionally present in the region with its development cooperation projects. Currently, it is providing support to North Macedonia in the EU accession process, more specifically in the field of financial investigations and communication in the negotiation process. At the same time, it is enhancing the capacity to better manage border patrols in Serbia. Some other flagship projects in the region, supported by various other donors, include European Digital Diplomacy Exchange and Countering Foreign Perpetrated Disinformation in WB. Last but not least, Peace Operations Training Centre (POTC), working within the scope of CEP, provides training for personnel deployed to peacekeeping missions and operations and shares know-how in the WB region as well.
CEP plans to continue to implement development cooperation projects with the help of all relevant stakeholders.
