Cyberspace is considered to be the most important new area of interest among policymakers and experts on both – theoretical and practical levels. The cyberspace is changing the face of international relations and the ever-evolving modern technology imposes the need for all stakeholders to reconsider their approaches to communication and ways of developing structures for prevention of hybrid threats coming from cyberspace.
On the other hand, the internet also provides a significant space for cooperation, in particular with the rapid rise of cyber and digital diplomacy in early 21st century. Given the high speed and low price of communication and exchange of information, the conditions for collaboration and engagement have been more diverse than ever before.
Centre for European Perspective implemented a two-day workshop in Podgorica for 15 representatives of different stakeholders in the Western Balkans, mostly coming from the Ministries of Interior, Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Ministries of Defence. Workshop was very successfully implemented in the framework of the ’’Network of the WB6 Ministries of Foreign Affairs’’, established by the project of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH titled ’’Open Regional Fund for South East Europe – Promotion of EU Integration through Regional Cooperation’’.
The experts, Sven Sakkov, Director of the International Centre for Defence and Security from Talinn, Slovenian state officials and Ivana Boštjančič Pulko, Head of Programme – Peace and Security, CEP, enabled participants to understand the importance of cyber security and key terms related to cyberspace as well as threats coming from it. The experts presented the Slovenian and Estonian national coordination mechanisms related to hybrid threats, provided an environment for active learning throughout in-depth presentations of concrete examples and modalities how to create, set up and use above mentioned coordination mechanisms and structures for an effective response to cyber-attacks as well as hybrid threats coming from the cyberspace.
