8. 12. 2023 | PR, Regional cooperation, Slovenian Development Assistance, U-LEAD: with Europe
CKliknite tukaj za branje prispevka v slovenskem jeziku.
The final event, with the presentation of two project drafts, plans for future cooperation and the signing of the sister cities agreement between Hrastnik and Drohobych in 2024, concluded a successful second mentorship visit from 27 November to 8 December 2023 under the auspices of the project ‘Post-conflict reconstruction in Ukraine’.
Today’s event concludes the mentorship visits, focusing on enhancing Drohobych’s capacities in project writing and project management and sharing good practices on housing, waste management, and tourism development with the help of experts, mentors and representatives from Hrastnik municipality, business and tourism sectors. In his opening address, the mayor of the municipality of Hrastnik, Mr Marko Funkl, reaffirmed Hrastnik’s willingness to cooperate with Drohobych, stating the intent of both municipalities to sign a sister city agreement in 2024, and commended the progress of mentees in the two weeks of work.
Joining the two-week mentorship in Hrastnik were Mr Yurii Yatskiv, Project Manager from the City Drohobych Institute, and Ms Olha Bunda, Representative of Drohobych Tourism, who were mentored by the municipality of Hrastnik mentor, Mr David Kranjc.
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 two projects, focusing on housing and tourism development, they wish to implement in Drohobych with the help of expert Mr Klemen Srna and partners in Hrastnik. The topics of the second week focused on housing, the development of waste management systems and tourism development.
Housing was a crucial topic of the mentorship discussions, as Drohobych is among several Ukrainian municipalities in West Ukraine dealing with a large influx of IDPs – with over 16 000 people seeking refuge in Drohobych with a population of 77 000 people, the situation requires immediate attention. Special emphasis was also put on already established cooperation between Hrastnik and Drohobych in the field of medical rehabilitation – with the visit to Hrastnik Medical Centre and discussions on the continuation of the work. The importance of the topic of housing for IDPs was addressed in a work session between mentees, Hrastnik mayor Mr Marko Funkl and Ms Tea Primon from the Department of Development, Property and Legal Affairs of Hrastnik, along with Mr Primož Siter, representative of Ministry for Solidarity-Based Future of Slovenia who addressed the housing situation in Slovenia and current activities of Slovenia addressing the situation, and Mr Rok Ramšak and Ms Maša Hawlina from Zadrugator who presented cooperative housing models, focusing on the financing and legislative aspects, as well as the presentation of good European practices and possible examples applicable to Ukraine.
The municipality of Hrastnik prepared a rich side programme for mentees, Mr Yatskiv and Ms Bunda, with site visits focusing on tourism at TIC Hrastnik and TIC Ljubljana, EU programmes and support at Europe Direct Zasavje and Representation of European Commission of Slovenia, and business development at Regional tech centre Zasavje and companies steklarna Hrastnik, 3D Prototip and Dewesoft. The topic of establishing an effective and transparent waste management system on the local level and following EU waste management regulations was presented by speakers Mr Igor Petek from waste management company Publikus, Mr Matej Kuhar from municipal utility service Hrastnik and Mr Enes Raković from waste management centre Ceroz Zasavje
Mentees from Drohobych came equipped with ideas for possible improvements in Drohobych, which became drafts in the first week and were built upon to become strong project concepts in the second week with the help from CEP Senior Advisor Ms Jelka Klemenc. To present projects from the perspective of project evaluators, the mentees were joined by project evaluation expert Mr Gorazd Jenko, who shared insights on ensuring project sustainability, pitching projects to donors and possible investors, and pitfalls of project writing.
The mentorship concluded today with an internal debrief between CEP, external expert Mr Srna, mentor Mr Kranjc 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 representative of the Embassy of Ukraine in Slovenia, Ms Natalia Markevych Pritsa, Deputy Head of Mission, who expressed her support for the presented project proposals and the proposal for the signing of sister city agreement between Hrastnik and Drohobych. Joining the event were also Mr Miha Mirt, Managing Director of the Public Institute for Culture, Sports, Youth and Tourism – KRC Hrastnik and other representatives of the municipality of Hrastnik.
You can find the photos in the Flickr gallery below:
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.
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 | 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.
24. 11. 2023 | PR, Regional cooperation, Slovenian Development Assistance, U-LEAD: with Europe
The Municipality of Hrastnik will, on 27 November, host the second of the three-week mentorships under the auspices of the project ‘Post-conflict reconstruction in Ukraine’.
We begin the second mentorship enthusiastically due to the positive experience during the first mentorship visit, and we look forward to hosting representatives of Drohobych in Slovenia.
The second mentorship will focus on the needs expressed by the Drohobych municipality (housing, waste management and economic rebuilding with the help of tourism) as well as addressing 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.
Hrastnik municipality, with its experience in the establishment of housing cooperatives as one of the solutions to housing problems and cooperation in the waste management centre CEROZ Zasavje, offers knowledge not only through the presentation of good practices but also through site visits of stakeholders involved in the housing and waste management system.
In the next weeks, representatives of Drohobych will explore more about project planning, preparation and management, project funding, preparation of housing strategies and alternative housing models and waste management on the local level through interactive workshops and site visits.
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.
