5. 2. 2024 | PR, Regional cooperation, Slovenian Development Assistance, Strengthening Societal Resilience and Countering Foreign Perpetrated Disinformation in 6 Western Balkans Countries
Strengthening Societal Resilience and Countering Foreign Perpetrated Disinformation in the Western Balkans project is concluding its visiting tour of the region with the back to back visits to Pristina, Kosovo and Podgorica, Montenegro, in the week of 12-16 February.
The two visits will address the particular challenges that local efforts to counter disinformation encounter in Kosovo and Montenegro and look at the policy solutions found in the EU and the EU Member States. The project will be accompanied on these visits by renowned experts and practitioners in this field, who will discuss with the stakeholders from across societal sectors in the two countries the best ways of strengthening resilience against the threat of disinformation, taking into account both the local specificities and the lessons learned abroad. In addition to supporting democratic development, whole-of-society cooperation and comprehensive national security, countering disinformation will also assist the EU aspiration of the two countries.
The Project Strengthening Societal Resilience and Countering Foreign Perpetrated 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. 2. 2024 | Decentralisation, local self-government, PR, Regional cooperation, Slovenian Development Assistance, U-LEAD: with Europe
12 February, 10:00-11:30 CET
The war in Ukraine has shaken up the European Union’s approach to enlargement. Long seen as a purely technical process, the EU enlargement policy is now recognized as a geopolitical tool which will require a more strategic approach.
As Ukraine embarks on this journey, what is the process for joining the European Union, what implications does the Ukrainian path toward the EU have on the accession process of the Western Balkans, and which lessons can Ukraine take from the Balkans?
Joining us in a special webinar discussion was Mr Georg Ziegler, Adviser, Ukraine Service, Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (NEAR), European Commission.
You can check out the recording of the session below or on our YouTube channel – here.
Georg Ziegler is an Advisor in the “Ukraine Service” of the European Commission in the Directorate General for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations (NEAR). Before his current role, he was Deputy Head of the Support Group for Ukraine. During his career, he has worked on preparing some Western Balkan countries for EU accession and on the 5th enlargement of the EU by Central and Eastern European countries until 2004; he was also posted by the German Government at the Embassy in Warsaw from 1990-95.
The activities are taking place under the project ‘Post-conflict reconstruction in Ukraine’, 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.
31. 1. 2024 | PR, Regional cooperation, Slovenian Development Assistance, U-LEAD: with Europe
Today, we hosted a final event of the third mentorship visit under the auspices of the project ‘Post-conflict reconstruction in Ukraine’ at Jable Castle.
The mentorship visit between Kočevje and Bucha, focusing on enhancing Bucha’s capacities in project writing and project management and development of a business-friendly environment with the help of experts, mentors and representatives from Kočevje municipality and business sectors, took place between 17 January and 1 February 2023 in Kočevje, Slovenija.
Opening the final event at Jable was Ms Nina Čepon, CEP Executive Director, introducing the Slovenian Aid and Partnerships project activities, commending the efforts of Bucha mentees for their work over the three weeks, and indicating further possible fields of cooperation with Kočevje and CEP. She thanked all involved organisations for their support of project activities, ensuring activities are well structured, aimed at needs expressed by Ukrainian municipalities and aiding reconstruction and recovery efforts.
Addressing the participants was also the mayor of the municipality of Bucha, Mr Anatolii Fedoruk, who thanked his Bucha colleagues and all involved in the project for the effort and work during these three weeks. He expressed the gratitude of the entire Bucha community to Kočevje municipality for all their efforts and extended hand of support, reaffirming that the support is not taken for granted and the willingness to work towards stronger cooperation is ever strong.
Dr Vladimir Prebilič, mayor of Kočevje, commended the work and the willingness of Bucha municipality to work towards a stronger business support system in the municipality, offered support of Kočevje, stating the intent of Kočevje to pursue and sign a sister city agreement and continue to good cooperation – possibly with the organisation of a summer camp for children from Bucha in Kočevje.
Joining the mentorship in Kočevje were Ms Tetiana Lipinska, Head of the Sector for Economic Development at the Bucha City Council, and Mr Andrii Melnyk, Project Manager in the Sector for Economic Development of Bucha City Council, who were mentored by the municipality of Kočevje mentors, Mr Andrej Mladenovič, Deputy Mayor of Kočevje and Ms Lili Štefanič, Director of Municipal Administration of Kočevje.
In the first week, mentees focused their attention on needs assessment, followed by the basics of project management, project writing and project funding and began preparing a frame for a project they wish to implement in Bucha, within the Bucha Techno Garden, with the help of expert Mr Klemen Srna.
The second week focused on the establishment of a business-friendly environment, with the municipality of Kočevje preparing a rich side programme for mentees, with visits to the Kočevje business incubator, where Bucha mentees learned more about the cooperation between the municipality, incubator, businesses in the region, educational institutions and more. Discussion with Ribnica Kočevje Regional Development Agency highlighted the areas of possible support of such an organisation to businesses. On Thursday and Friday, two more side visits were held – a visit to ABC Hub and Accelerator in Ljubljana, where the activities of the Hub and their coworking space were presented, and a visit to Dolenjske Toplice spa, where the director, Ms Lazič presented the activities of Terme Krka complex, the rehabilitation and medical programme of the spa and subsequent effect the spa had on the development of the area.
The third week focused on the preparation of a project concept for the development of the Bucha business incubator. Mentees were aided by Mrs Slavka Zupan and Mr Klemen Srna and prepared a well-elaborated concept. Mentors Mr Srna and Ms Zupan also shared some thoughts on project evaluation and searching for investors and prepared a short overview of possible funding options.
The mentorship concluded today with an internal debrief between CEP, external experts Mr Srna and Mrs Zupan, mentor Mr Mladenovič and mentees, followed by a public presentation of the mentorship and project plans prepared with the help of new knowledge gained during the mentorship, which will be elaborated and finalized during the project until the end of 2024.
Joining the closing event were also the representative of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Ms Nataša Kos, Minister Plenipotentiary, who commended the successful activities of the mentorship and reaffirmed the support of Slovenia to Ukraine, and H.E Mr Andrii Taran, Ambassador of Ukraine to Slovenia, who commended the work of Bucha mentees and expressed his gratitude for the Slovenian support to Ukraine. Joining the event was also Dr Andrej Horvat, Deputy Director of U-LEAD with Europe Programme at GIZ, who expressed his support for project activities and emphasised the need for stronger support to efforts in Ukraine. Ms Nataša Goršek Mencin, Deputy Head of the European Commission Representation in Slovenia, reaffirmed the support of the European Commission to Ukrainian recovery efforts through the Ukraine Facility mechanism.
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.
17. 1. 2024 | PR, Regional cooperation, Slovenian Development Assistance, U-LEAD: with Europe
Mentees from Bucha, representatives of the Municipality of Kočevje and CEP have kicked off the three-week mentorship under the auspices of the project ‘Post-conflict reconstruction in Ukraine’ in Kočevje today.
The mentorship visit, taking place between 17 and 31 January, is the continuation of the visit of Bucha Urban Hromada representatives in October 2023 and means the development of the cooperation formalised by signing the cooperation agreement on 2 October. The visit to Kočevje, hosted by the Municipality of Kočevje, was opened by CEP Senior Advisor Ms Jelka Klemenc and Kočevje Mayor Dr Vladimir Prebilič, who presented the work of Kočevje to Bucha representatives and wished that the representative use the time in Kočevje to gain as much knowledge as possible to implement in Bucha. An intensive three-week working programme was prepared to contribute to transferring targeted and needs-based knowledge and deliver sustainable results, working toward a long-term partnership between the municipalities.
The opening session was followed by the first interactive workshop on project management, development strategy preparation, and fund absorption, one of the main topics of the mentorship that will contribute to strengthening Bucha’s institutional capacities. Joining us from Bucha are Ms Tetiana Lipinska, Head of the Department of Economic Development and Investments of Bucha City Council and Mr Andrii Melnyk, Project Manager from the Department of Economic Development and Investments of Bucha City Council, who will receive knowledge of Kočevje’s experience and good practice on business development, investor attraction and development of business incubator. With the assistance of CEP, the visit will work on kick-starting the development of strategy, focusing on establishing a business-friendly environment, culminating in the development of Bucha Techno Garden.
With a rich side programme, Kočevje will also present its business environment, successfully implemented projects and more.
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.
16. 1. 2024 | PR, Regional cooperation, Slovenian Development Assistance, U-LEAD: with Europe
We are beginning the first three-week mentorship of 2024 in the municipality of Kočevje on 17 January under the auspices of the project ‘Post-conflict reconstruction in Ukraine’.
The third mentorship visit of the project builds upon a cooperation agreement between Bucha and Kočevje focusing on the deepening of cooperation in various fields, signed on 2 October 2023 at Jable Castle.
The mentorship will focus on the needs expressed by Bucha municipality, which is working on the establishment of a tech park and wishes to strengthen cooperation between the municipality and businesses as well as address topics crucial for further development of the municipality, such as project management, project writing and topics related to EU enlargement process on the local level.
Kočevje municipality, with its vast experience of cooperation with businesses, the establishment of the development agency Kočevje Ribnica and business incubator Kočevje will offer valuable knowledge not only through the presentation of good practices but also through site visits of stakeholders involved.
In the next weeks, two representatives from the business development sector of Bucha municipality will explore more about project planning, preparation and management, EU project funding, steps needed to ensure an investor-friendly environment and more on the establishment of a business incubator.
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.
11. 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, fourth consultations along with third workshop for representatives of the Macedonian institutions responsible for financial investigations will take place in North Macedonia from 18 to 21 December 2023.
During the consultations and workshops, Slovenian experts will continue the progress already made in developing the capacity of Macedonian investigative and law enforcement authorities to carry out financial investigations and continue their assistance along the way.
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.
