On 5 February, EU CyberNet hosted Stakeholder Community Day in Brussels, bringing together cybersecurity experts, policymakers and professionals. The second panel, titled “Building Cyber Resilience in the Western Balkan: Public-Private Partnerships for EU integration” explored the critical role of multistakeholder and public-private partnerships in strengthening cybersecurity in the Western Balkans region and beyond.

Panellists shared insights from donor, non-profit, private sector and governmental perspectives, all panellists agreed that cyber threats are growing in sophistication and thus there’s an urgent need for coordinated cyber capacity building efforts. They shared an understanding that national cybersecurity capacities need to improve to keep pace with evolving threats in the region, and discussed how their initiatives could drive and support the change.

The discussion centred around the pivotal role of capacity building as a cornerstone of cybersecurity resilience. Panellists outlined their perspectives: from grassroot-level education and training programmes to legislative framework development with governments and companies.

Panellists further stressed the importance of multi-stakeholder and key recommendations for enhancing cyber resilience in the Westerns Balkans include:

• Increasing cross-sector awareness of CCB projects for better coordination, alignment of efforts, and moving towards more structured and inclusive frameworks cooperation and optimised resource use.
• Supporting policymakers and staff to enhance cyber awareness and adopt cybersecurity frameworks that are transparent and cross-sectoral.
• Sharing best practices and fostering regional collaboration to build trust and facilitate knowledge exchange.

The panel discussion highlighted the need for stronger collaboration, awareness and investment in cybersecurity across the Western Balkans. Public-private partnerships, structured frameworks, and regional knowledge-sharing will be key to advancing cyber resilience and aligning with EU integration efforts.

Panelists:

• Milan Sekulostki (Senior Cybersecurity Expert, e-Governance Academy)
• Imre Lendák (Cybersecurity Network Foundation of Serbia)
• Filip Simeonov (Cybersecurity Expert and Founder of Cyber Protection and Privacy Services)
• Predrag Puharic (CEO, Cyber Security Excellence Centre of Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Moderator:

• Anna Vezyroglou (Deputy Head of Western Balkans Policy & Regional Strategy Unit, DG ENEST)

Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/eucybernet/albums/72177720323621845/