Minister Fajon inaugurates the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre in Podgorica

Minister Tanja Fajon delivering a speech | Author Center za kibernetsko zmogljivost na Zahodnem Balkanu

Minister Tanja Fajon inaugurated the Centre together with the Prime Minister of Montenegro, Milojko Spajić, the Deputy Prime Minister for International Relations and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro, Ervin Ibrahimović, the Minister of Public Administration of Montenegro, Marash Dukaj, and the French Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, René Troccaz. In her address, she stressed that the Centre is an important pillar in strengthening the cyber resilience of the Western Balkans: "As our societies and economies become increasingly digital, the complexity and scale of threats in cyberspace are growing. Strengthening cyber defences is therefore essential - not only to protect critical infrastructure and sensitive data, but also to uphold the rule of law and public trust in our institutions."

The Cyber Capacity Centre was established on 16 October 2023 on the initiative of Slovenia, France and Montenegro to train public sector and critical infrastructure professionals in the Western Balkans in the fields of cybersecurity, cybercrime and international cooperation. Since its inception, the Centre has hosted more than 30 weeks of training and provided more than 400 trainers with knowledge and skills that they can now disseminate in their countries. The Centre has become part of the Berlin Process. "The establishment of the Centre reflects the effective cooperation between Slovenia, France and Montenegro and shows that together we can create a safer digital environment for our citizens. At a time when cyber threats are becoming increasingly complex and pervasive, it is essential that we are equipped with the right tools and skills to effectively tackle these challenges."

With the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre project, Slovenia is also implementing several of its foreign policy commitments and priorities - from an active presence in the Western Balkans, to supporting the European perspective of the countries in the region, to ensuring stability by strengthening cyber capabilities and the visibility of Slovenia and its experts.

On behalf of Slovenia, Minister Fajon signed a new development cooperation programme between the Slovenian and Montenegrin governments for the 2024-2025 period (the sixth in a row), worth up to EUR 2.5 million. The signing ceremony was attended by Bojan Kumer, Minister of the Environment, Climate and Energy of Slovenia, and Damjan Ćulafić, Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Northern Region Development of Montenegro. Funding under the programme - which will be provided by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and the Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy - will be earmarked for development projects that will contribute to sustainable development and energy efficiency in both the transport and building sectors in Montenegro. The assistance will also aim to actively support Montenegro's European future and EU integration. The country is one of Slovenia's most important development cooperation partners. At the same time, Slovenia has been one of the top five bilateral donors to Montenegro for more than a decade and has so far committed more than EUR 20 million to development projects.

Together with Foreign Minister Ibrahimović, Minister Fajon also visited the "Đina Vrbica" kindergarten, where a mini eco-park (greening the kindergarten courtyard, installation of games and containers for separate waste collection) has been created with the help of the Foreign Ministry's development fund. Workshops, games and activities were held to teach children about the importance of sustainable development, mobility and environmental protection.

Minister Fajon also met with the highest representatives of Montenegro, namely Ervin Ibrahimović, Deputy Prime Minister for International Relations and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro, Filip Ivanović, Deputy Prime Minister for Foreign and European Affairs, Milojko Spajić, Prime Minister, and Jakov Milatović, President of Montenegro. The Minister and her hosts focused on Montenegro's EU accession, stressing that the country can accelerate the EU integration process by focusing on the implementation of planned reforms. "We would like Montenegro to seize this historic opportunity and do everything possible to become the next EU Member State," the Minister underlined. The participants thanked Minister Fajon for Slovenia's strong support for Montenegro on its EU path.