Opening of the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C)

The official inauguration of the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Center (WB3C) will take place today, 9 December, at 4:00 p.m., at the premises of the Montenegrin Science and Technology Park in Podgorica.

Speakers at the event will include:

• Milojko Spajić, Prime Minister of Montenegro
• Ervin Ibrahimović, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro
• Marash Dukaj, Minister of Public Administration of Montenegro
• René Troccaz, Special Envoy of France for the Western Balkans
• Tanja Fajon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovenia

Media representatives are invited to cover the ceremony.

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The initiative for establishing the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C) formally began on 16 November 2022, with the signing of a Letter of Intent between the Prime Minister of Montenegro and the Ambassadors of France and Slovenia. In April 2023, the Government of Montenegro tasked representatives of the Science and Technology Park's Board of Directors with deciding to host the Centre on its premises. After over two years of intensive efforts, supported by international partners, the Government of Montenegro, the academic community, and other key stakeholders, the formal, programmatic, and technical conditions for opening the Centre have been finalized. WB3C builds on Montenegro's advancements in cybersecurity, including the adoption of the Information Security Law and the establishment of the Government's Security Operations Centre (G-SOC). The first activity under WB3C—a Cyber Hygiene Training—was conducted in May 2023, marking the start of its operations. The Centre strengthens cybersecurity not only in Montenegro but also across the Western Balkans and beyond.