Western Balkan countries set to define their common vision on the future of Europe
Ljubljana, XX November – The first in a series of workshop as a substantive contribution of Western Balkans 6 (WB6) countries to the EU-wide debate on the Future of Europe will take place on 1 December 2021 in a hybrid model from Podgorica. It will be organised by the Centre for European Perspective in co-operation with the European Integration Office of Montenegro and structures in charge of co-ordinating European affairs from WB6. Assistance will be provided by the regional project for the Promotion of EU Integration, funded by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).
The event will begin with an introductory address by Mr Zdravko Krivokapić, Prime Minister of Montenegro and Mr Gašper Dovžan, State Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia.
The first panel of the workshop will provide a platform for discussion between relevant stakeholders in the European integration process at the level of Deputy Prime Ministers, Ministers for European Integration and Chief Negotiators from the Western Balkans countries. The discussion will focus on next steps in the European integration process of WB6, a possible common approach to specific common topics and sectoral policies, as well as the existing challenges.
The second panel of the workshop is entitled “Climate Change and Environment Goals” and will explore the possibilities for the Western Balkans to contribute to the EU priority goals on climate change and environmental degradation. The discussion will focus on the European Green Deal and what role the Western Balkans can play in transforming the EU into a resource-efficient and competitive green economies.
The third and final panel on “Investing in Youth Today” will focus on what investment into the youth can contribute to a more prosperous Europe. Facilitating platforms, which provide equal opportunities for youth in education and the labour market, as well as to empower young people to take an active part in building their societies, is crucial for the economic development of WB6. Moreover, fostering opportunities for youth in the Western Balkans is a key challenge in WB countries’ European integration efforts.
Panelists will be: Mr Zef Mazi, Chief Negotiator, Ms Darija Ramljak, Assistant Director and Head of Strategy and Integration Policies Division in DEI, Ms Zorka Kordić, Chief Negotiator, Mr Nikola Dimitrov, Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs, Mr Miroslav Gačević, Assistant Minister, Department for Political and Economic Criteria in the Process of Accession to the European Union and Mrs Donika Gërvalla, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora.
This event has been initiated by the European Integration Office of Montenegro and structures in charge of co-ordinating European affairs from WB6 and it will be organised by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH Regional project on promotion of EU integration on behalf of the German Government, the Centre for European Perspective in co-operation with and under the auspices of the Slovenian presidency of the Council of the EU, with the support of the EU-funded EU4ME project.
While negotiations on EU membership are awaiting opening in North Macedonia, the competent Macedonian authorities are actively working on strengthening the system of financial investigations and the system of confiscation of proceeds of crime and property, which could be of illegal origin.
In pursuit of interest to conduct effective financial investigations, after the adoption of the National Strategy for Financial Investigations in July 2021, the competent Macedonian authorities are in the process of development and interdepartmental coordination of standard operating procedures. Harmonized standard operating procedures will more specifically define the course, characteristics and cooperation in financial investigations of the authorities, which in North Macedonia carry out financial investigations (Ministry of the Interior, Financial Police Directorate, Customs Administration and the State Prosecutor’s Office). Slovenia, which supports North Macedonia in bringing it closer to EU standards in the field of financial investigations, will between 30 November and 2 December 2021 provide advice in interdepartmental coordination and standardization of financial investigation procedures in North Macedonia.
Strengthening the system of financial investigations is an important condition for North Macedonia’s membership in the EU, and above all, it is a key tool for crime prevention. Effective financial investigation and confiscation of assets where it cannot be proved to be obtained legally, carries the message that crime does not pay. With the planned measures, authorities in Macedonia reiterate the interest of North Macedonia that the more property is confiscated from criminals, the more the state can use it to improve the quality of public services for the people of North Macedonia, including health, education, social welfare and for the fight against crime itself.
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 State Prosecution, Financial Administration, Ministry of the Interior and the Police of the Republic of Slovenia.
After the successful conclusion of the training’s first edition, the Centre for European Perspective will implement the second edition of the training on Digital Communications in Civilian Crisis Management as a part of the European Union Civilian Training Initiative (EUCTI), which provides tailor-made training activities for individuals working in the EU’s CSDP and other international missions (OSCE, UN, AU and others)…
The four-day training, which will take place online due to the pandemic situation, is designed to increase the awareness of mission communication experts on the efficient use of information technology to enhance missions’ communication performance.
Successful strategic communication aids in establishing a trustworthy relationship with the public by engaging with them in a timely, transparent and open manner. In the case of peace operation missions, information technologies could be better utilised for strategic communication to increase the support of the domestic and foreign public and increase its legitimacy. Thus, the course aims to strengthen the overall performance of missions’ communication efforts, which enhance the mission’s legitimacy.
The upcoming training will take place in parts on the 23rd and 29th of November and resume on the 7th and 10th of December. It addresses the needs of the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo with participation extended to experts serving in other international missions and organisations in Kosovo. The upcoming training represents the first module of the training, which is going to facilitate a theoretical basis on digital communications in civilian crisis management. This will provide participants with the platform to take part in the second module of the training in the future, which is more practically oriented.
The three-day training on Digital Communications in Civilian Crisis Management organised as a part of the European Union Civilian Training Initiative has been successfully concluded!
Over the past three days, the participants of our training took part in interactive lectures on various topics that are crucial for digital communicators ranging from digital security to digital rhetoric.
We’re glad to have cooperated with participants from the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia and European Union Delegation in Georgia who provided proactive and substantial contributions to the training.
This training concludes the first module of the training on Digital Communications in Civilian Crisis Management. The second module will be implemented in a residential format and is expected to take place sometime in the spring of 2022.
We would like to wish the participants lots of success in achieving their digital communication objectives and we would also like to express our gratitude to our fantastic team and lecturers for implementing the training.
Europe’s digital regulations are changing, and the EU is now considering the shape and restrictiveness of the Digital Markets Act, the Digital Services Act and a new AI regulation. These regulations will have an impact on Slovenia and the wider region. It will impact on the continued efforts to digitalise our society and prosper from investments in digital capacity. What is the likely impact and how will it affect different sectors?
We invite you to join an event during which we will look at the effects of the DSA, DMA and the AI regulation on Slovenia’s economy and discuss the regulation from the CEE perspective.
Join our panel of experts to discuss:
How will these regulations impact local digital players?
Would it reduce digital investments into the local economy?
What would be the consequence for consumers and businesses when technology openness is restricted in the EU?
Speakers:
Mr Fredrik Erixon, Director of ECIPE, will present a new report analysing the impact of new digital regulations on CEE countries, including Slovenia.
The presentation will be followed by a discussion with industry and government representatives:
Dr Til Rozman, Secretary, Government Office for Digital Transformation of the Republic of Slovenia
Igor Zorko, President of Management Board of Slovenian Digital Coalition
Alina Dimofte, EU Policy and Political Campaigns Manager, Google
Moderator: Jaka Repanšek, Founder of RePublis d.o.o.
The Centre for European Perspective will implement a three-day training on Digital Communications in Civilian Crisis Management as a part of the European Union Civilian Training Initiative (EUCTI), which provides tailor-made training activities for individuals working in the EU’s CSDP and other international missions (OSCE, UN, AU and others). The training is designed to increase the awareness of mission communication experts on the efficient use of information technology to enhance missions’ communication performance.
To effectively communicate in a strategic manner, solely acquiring technological hardware and software is not enough. Missions need to recalibrate their communication efforts and address the question of “why to communicate” in greater detail, develop communication strategies based on their findings and make necessary organisational shifts, which ultimately lead to increased support of the domestic and foreign public towards the mission. Thus, the course aims to strengthen the overall performance of missions’ communication efforts, which enhance the mission’s legitimacy.
The upcoming training addresses the needs of EUMM Georgia with participation extended to experts serving in other international missions and organisations in Georgia. Due to Covid-19 related restrictions, the course has been designed in a two-module structure. The upcoming training, which will be held online between 16th and 18th November 2021 represents the first training module and will provide the participants with fundamental theoretical knowledge. The procured knowledge will provide participants with the basis to successfully participate in the training’s second module, which is more practically oriented.
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