Western Balkan Digital Security Forum
WHEN? 15 June 2022
WHERE? Onsite in Tallinn, Estonia Nordic Hotel Forum and online at ega.ee/wb-digisec-forum/
WHOM? Cybersecurity leaders and experts of Western-Balkan and EU countries
The Western Balkan Digital Security Forum is a high-level meeting spotlighting the EU-supported cybersecurity capacity building efforts in the Western Balkans under the project titled ’Cybersecurity identification and formulation study on the Western Balkans’ implemented by the e-Governance Academy of Estonia.
The Western Balkan Digital Security Forum invites cybersecurity leaders and experts to join discussions on digitalisation and cybersecurity in the region, drawing from best practice from Estonia, Latvia, Sweden and Austria.
Supporting capacity building in trust and security and the digitalisation of industry in the Western Balkans to ensure that all sectors benefit from digital innovations will remain the key point of the forum.
Keynote – Jonatan Vseviov, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Estonia
Keynote – Jonatan Vseviov, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Estonia
Jonatan Vseviov: Security in this continent, and anywhere in the world, is indivisible.
Opening speech – Andres Sutt, Minister of Entrepreneurship and IT, Estonia
Opening speech – Andres Sutt, Minister of Entrepreneurship and IT,…
Andres Sutt: Digital security is not an expense but an investment.
Estonia hosts a high-level digital security forum for…
Estonia hosts a high-level digital security forum for six Western…
Read more
14 June 2022
- 20:00 Dinner at the Estonian History Museum, Maarjamäe Palace, keynote speaker Toomas Hendrik Ilves, former President of Estonia (by invitations only)
15 June 2022
Location – Nordic Hotel Forum, Tallinn
- 08:30 Registration and morning coffee
- 09:00 Opening and introduction by Hannes Astok, Executive Director of eGA
- 09:10 Opening speech, Andres Sutt, Minister of Entrepreneurship and Information Technology of Estonia (online)
- 09:20 Keynote, Maciej Popowski, Acting Director General of the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood & Enlargement Negotiations, European Commission (online)
- 09:35 Keynote, Jonatan Vseviov, Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia
- 09:50 Scene setting presentation of the Cybersecurity Study on the Western Balkans, Merle Maigre, Senior Cybersecurity Expert of eGA
- 10:25 Smoothie break
- 10:45 Panel I – „Digitalisation & Cybersecurity – Two Sides of the Same Coin“
Milan Dobrijević, State Secretary, Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications of Serbia (online); Luukas Ilves, Government CIO of the Government of Estonia; Baiba Kaškina, General Manager of CERT-LV; Peter Eberl, Deputy Head of Unit on H2 Cybersecurity Policy at DG CNECT (online). Moderated by Merle Maigre, Senior Cybersecurity Expert of eGA
Digital transformation will only be successful if we succeed in ensuring cybersecurity – the reliability of data and networked systems. Why cannot we have one without the other? What are the enablers of a resilient digital ecosystem? And what implications does consideration for cybersecurity have for a government when planning the digitalisation of services?
- 12:00 Networking lunch
- 13:00 Panel II – „The Leap to More Resilient Cyberspace“ Slavica Grkovska, Deputy Prime Minister of North-Macedonia; Adnan Kulovac, Assistant Minister, Ministry of Defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina (online); Wiktor Staniecki, Deputy Head of Division, SECDEFPOL.1, European External Action Service; Aivo Orav, Permanent Representative of Estonia to the EU. Moderated by Tanel Sepp, Ambassador at Large for Cyber Diplomacy
Even though responsibilities for cyberspace are spread among many stakeholders, the state still plays a principal role in creating a legal and policy environment to safeguard an open and secure internet that maximises the benefits of digitalisation for all of society. The discussion will revolve around strategic-level capacity for fostering cyberspace that is resilient and trusted. What are the existing needs and appropriate ways of formulating and coordinating cybersecurity responses, encompassing improved enforcement mechanisms, strong legal frameworks, and public-private cooperation formats?
- 14:15 Smoothie break
- 14:30 Panel III – „Best Practice of Cybersecurity Reforms“ Admirim Aliti, Minister of Information Society and Administration, North Macedonia; Bardhyl Dobra, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs & National Coordinator, Kosovo*; Agron M. Camaj, State Secretary, Ministry of Public Administration of Montenegro; Vilma Tomco, Director General of National Authority on Electronic Certification and Cyber Security of Albania. Moderated by Tõnu Tammer, Executive Director of CERT-EE
As cyber threats, by nature, seldom affect only one organisation at a time, preventing and responding to cyber incidents becomes difficult unless a dedicated team is in place, equipped with adequate tools and processes, and manned with capable talent. This panel revolves around operational-level capacity building needs and recommendations firstly CSIRTs capacities, and, secondly, critical information infrastructure protection.
- 15:45 Closing remarks by Michela Matuella, Acting Director Western Balkans, DG NEAR(online)
* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.
Speakers
Andres Sutt
Minister of Entrepreneurship and Information Technology of Estonia
Admirim Aliti
Minister of Information Society and Administration of the Republic of North Macedonia
Adnan Kulovac
Assistant Minister, Ministry of Defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bardhyl Dobra
Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo in charge of public administration reforms
Aivo Orav
Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Estonia to the EU
Agron M. Camaj
State Secretary, Ministry of Public Administration of Montenegro
Dr. Vilma Tomco
Director General of the National Authority on Electronic Certification and Cyber Security, Albania
Baiba Kaškina
General manager of CERT.LV – Latvian National and Governmental CSIRT
Maciej Popowski
Acting Director General of the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood & Enlargement Negotiations, European Commission
Slavica Grkovska
Deputy Prime Minister in the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia
Toomas Hendrik Ilves
Former President of Estonia
Milan Dobrijevic
Michela Matuella
Acting Director Western Balkans, DG NEAR
Luukas Ilves
Government CIO of Estonia
Wiktor Staniecki
Deputy Head of Cyber Sector in the Security and Defence Policy Division at the European External Action Service
Merle Maigre
Senior Expert on Cyber Security, eGA
How to use 
We will be using the virtual platform Worksup for our online event. It enables participants to:
- follow the live stream or video-on-demand content,
- browse the programme,
- ask questions from the speakers and solve tasks,
- up-vote questions and comments posted by others,
- also, create a profile, browse other participants’ profiles and propose virtual meetings, chat within the platform or app.
You can enter Worksup from any web browser of your computer, tablet or phone. There is no need to download an app. Just beware that private browsing has been turned off in your browser, and that we suggest using the same device for setting up the profile and using the virtual platform at the event to avoid multiple profiles.
The link to the event will be shared with registered participants.
Regarding Covid
Due to the rapidly changing conditions regarding the COVID-19 pandemic please refer to the official webpages for latest information. Information on countries and restriction on freedom of movement requirements for passengers is available:
Estonian Police and Border Guard Board
Emergency
The local emergency number is 112
In case of an emergency, contact the police, ambulance, or rescue workers by calling 112.
A person insured in another EU member state is entitled to necessary medical care during a temporary stay in Estonia on the same terms as a person insured in Estonia. More information on the general principles of providing medical care can be found here.
Travel & Health Insurance
We expect all our conference guests to have a valid international insurance policy. We are not able to take responsibility for any medical expenses that may occur during your trip to Tallinn. Please be assured that we will do everything possible to ensure a safe and smooth digital security forum in June.
Travelling to Estonia
Schengen – Visa
When arriving in Estonia, all participants must present a valid passport with the appropriate visa (if required). It is not possible to apply for a visa at the border. Participants who need to apply for a visa must do so in their country of residence. Estonia is part of the Schengen Area. At this website http://vm.ee/en/node/6978 you can find information on who needs to apply for a visa and what is the application process.
Consular Information
In case of an issue with travel documents or other travel-related questions, you can seek help from the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Arrival and Departure
Delegates arriving/departing individually are kindly requested to make their own travel arrangements. Upon arrival at the Tallinn Lennart Meri airport, we recommend you to take a taxi from the taxi stand in front of the airport. Taxi from the airport to the hotel takes about 10 minutes (depending on traffic) and costs around 10 €. Taxis accept Visa / Mastercard. ATMs are located in the airport terminal building.
Bus and tram stop, car parks and taxi stand are only meters away from Airport entrances. www.tallinn-airport.ee/en/transport/leaving-the-airport/
For more information on attractions and sights in Tallinn and Estonia please go to
https://visittallinn.ee/eng/visitor and https://www.visitestonia.com/en/
Invitations
The Western-Balkan Digital Security Forum is an invitation-only event. The invitations will be sent via e-mail. Please register at your earliest convenience and please note that registration to the Forum is mandatory.
The conference will be held in ENGLISH, no translation is available.
Other Practical Information
The power supply is 220-230 volts (plug: two round prongs).
Local time: Eastern European Summer Time (GMT+3)
Estonia is using the Euro (EUR), since 2011. ATMs can be found all around Tallinn, e.g., in shopping centers.
Weather
The average temperature in June is between 17-20 degrees. The Estonian weather can change quickly, there are often sunny, rainy and windy days in Tallinn.
Weather information here
Forum Venue & Partner Hotels
The Western-Balkan Digital Security Forum will take place on 15 June 2022, in the Nordic Hotel Forum, Tallinn, Estonia. For speakers, we cover costs for flights and accommodation in Tallinn. Other participants are kindly requested to book the accommodation by themselves.
|
|
Nordic Hotel Forum |
 |
Original Sokos Hotel Viru |
 |
Metropol SPA Hotel |
.