Estonian president recognised eGA’s contribution to Montenegro’s cybersecurity

The Estonian President, Alar Karis, visited the Government Security Operations Centre (GSOC) of Montenegro on 6 June 2025 to support the country’s efforts to enhance its cybersecurity and acknowledged the work of the e-Governance Academy (eGA) in Montenegro.

International cooperation — especially with NATO allies and the EU — plays a key role in strengthening Montenegro’s cyber resilience and capabilities. Montenegro has faced significant cyberattacks, most notably a severe incident in August 2022 that crippled the government’s digital infrastructure. Since the attack, the EU has increased its support, particularly through assistance projects implemented by the e-Governance Academy.

“I am very proud of our cybersecurity operation centre’s team, who have done an excellent job,” said Dušan Polović, Director General of the Directorate for Infrastructure, Information Security, Digitalisation, and e-Services at the Ministry of Public Administration of Montenegro.

“We are also pleased that, thanks to the projects funded by the European Union and implemented by the e-Governance Academy, we have been able to strengthen our cybersecurity at such a rapid pace following the major attacks against government institutions in 2022.”

The Ministry of Public Administration of Montenegro was honoured with the title of eGA Partner of the Year at the eGA Conference in May 2025, in recognition of its exceptional efforts to strengthen cyber capabilities and enhance national coordination.

On 26 October 2025, the Security Operations Centre (SOC) was inaugurated in Montenegro by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Montenegro’s Prime Minister Milojko Spajić. The centre is responsible for the round-the-clock monitoring of Montenegro’s national cybersecurity systems. Its development was supported through the Cybersecurity Rapid Response for Albania, Montenegro and North Macedonia 2.0 project, funded by the European Union and implemented by the Estonian e-Governance Academy.

The Estonian e-Governance Academy (eGA) is implementing two EU-funded cybersecurity enhancement projects in the Western Balkans — Western Balkan Cybersecurity Rapid Response 2.0 and Cyber Balkans — with a total budget of €7.6 million. The aim is to support key public institutions in the region in strengthening their cyber resilience through advisory services and exercises.