CEP - Centre for European Perspective

At the Centre for European Perspective, we are waving goodbye to a year full of new projects, challenges and faces, surprises, and experiences all around the globe (this year, we travelled so much someone could easily mistake us for Santa Claus 🎅). May 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣5️⃣ be spontaneous, warm, dynamic and full of successes. Happy holidays, and see you in 2025! ✨

On December 17–18, 2024, the first set of workshops under the project "Advancing Nursing and Midwifery Education and Establishing the System for the Recognition of Professional Qualifications in the Republic of North Macedonia (2024–2025)" took place at the Austrian Palace Hotel, Skopje. The workshops, focusing on education, regulation, and legislation, brought together key stakeholders, including healthcare professionals, educators, and policymakers, to address essential topics related to nursing and midwifery education and professional regulation aligned with EU directives. Day one focused on sharing Slovenian experiences and best practices, presented by experts such as Prof. Dr. BRIGITA SKELA-SAVIČ from Angela Boškin Faculty of Health Care and Ms. Monika Ažman, Ms. ANITA PRELEC, and Dr. Andrej Vojnovic from Zbornica - Zveza. Discussions covered the evolving roles of nurses and midwives in modern health systems, necessary curriculum reforms, legislative updates to meet EU standards, and the importance of professional regulation and unified registers. Workshops also tackled the initial analysis of North Macedonia education systems, identifying actionable recommendations for improvement. On the second day, participants focused on collaborative planning, tackling key challenges, and defining the next steps for project implementation. Contributions from diverse stakeholders provided valuable insights and strategies to ensure the project's success. Next steps in the project implementation were also defined. This event marks a significant step toward enhancing nursing and midwifery education and establishing a robust framework for professional qualification recognition in North Macedonia. Project is implemented with the support of Slovenian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs through #SlovenianAid programme and Ministry of Health of North Macedonia, with technical support from World Health Organization (WHO) Office North Macedonia.

🇲🇰🤝🇸🇮 CEP and other project partners—representatives of the Ministries of Health of North Macedonia and Slovenia, the Chamber-Association of Nurses and Midwives of Slovenia, the Angela Boškin Faculty of Health Care, WHO Country Office in North Macedonia — held an exceptionally constructive meeting with Mr Jovica Andovski, Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Health of North Macedonia on the margins of the local launch of the project "Advancing Nursing and Midwifery Education and Establishing the System for the Recognition of Professional Qualifications in the Republic of North Macedonia". During the meeting, we outlined the important next steps for the project, discussed further needs identified within the project, redefined the framework for cooperation to make it more efficient, and clarified the roles of individual (new) stakeholders. Today, the 1st set of thematic workshops is launched, where more than 50 representatives of health education institutions, associations of nurses and midwives, deans of health care faculties, National Institute for Public Health and the Ministry of Health of North Macedonia attend the morning sessions on advancing health care education. Project is implemented with the support of the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs through #SlovenianAid programme and Ministry of Health of North Macedonia, with technical support from World Health Organization (WHO) Office North Macedonia.

The "Advancing Nursing and Midwifery Education and Establishing the System for the Recognition of Professional Qualifications in North Macedonia" project held a local launch today in Skopje! The event was opened by H.E. Mr Arben Taravari, Minister of Health of North Macedonia, and H.E. Ms Vesna Janevska, Minister of Education of North Macedonia, who emphasized the importance of the project for strengthening the nursing sector and improving the education and status of nurses and midwives; with opening remarks also delivered by Ms Nika Rotar, Minister Plenipotentiary and Deputy Ambassador (Slovenian Embassy Skopje) and Ms Vesna Marinko, Director-General of the Directorate for Public Health (Ministrstvo za zdravje). We were honoured by the attendance of Prof. Dr Igor Gila Nikolov, Advisor to the Prime Minister, and Dr Rashela Mizrahi, representative of the Parliament and President of the Health Commission, whose presence underscored the project’s significance at the national level. More about the event & workshops: https://lnkd.in/dgHykr_n The project is implemented with the support of the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs [through the International Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid Programme] and the Ministry of Health of North Macedonia, with technical support from the World Health Organization Office North Macedonia.

🚨 NEW TRAINING OPPORTUNITY 🚨 A Comprehensive Approach to Gender in Operations, 10-14 March 2024, Slovenia The primary objective of the training is to enhance operational effectiveness by providing participants with the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively incorporate a gender perspective in CSDP and international missions and operations. 🤝 The training programme will be delivered in cooperation with the European Security and Defence College (ESDC). The residential part of the course will take place at Jable Castle in Mengeš, Slovenia, from 10 to 14 March 2025. Individual e-learning is planned before arriving at the training. 🖇️ The registration procedure and other administrative details are available at the link below.

⚠️ NEW CALL FOR APPLICATIONS OPEN: Hostile Environment Awareness Training (HEAT) - February 2025 ⚠️ The aim of HEAT, a comprehensive and demanding training activity, is to contribute to the security and situational awareness of its participants, reinforce their safety and security awareness mindset, and develop their confidence in hostile situations. In addition, the training guides individual and team behaviour to help deter, detect and react during and after threatening events, thus increasing the overall personal safety and security of participants while serving in hostile environments. This year’s HEAT will be conducted in a winter environment. ℹ️ The training will take place at the Gotenica Police Training Centre in Slovenia from Sunday, February 16th, to Sunday, February 21st, 2025. POTC is organising this edition of HEAT under the aegis of the European Security and Defence College (ESDC). 🖇️ The registration procedure and other administrative details are available at the link below.

We’ve concluded BiH’s Visionary Voices: Leading the Change forum with an inspiring session that highlighted recent achievements and future aspirations for young BiH politicians. The concluding ceremony opened with a keynote address by H.E. Mr Borut Pahor, Founder and Director of the Institute Friends of the Western Balkans and former President of Slovenia (2012–2022). His talk, "Charting Bosnia’s Future: Leadership Lessons for and by Youth," offered participants interesting insights and encouragement. The concluding session featured participants presenting key takeaways, sharing lessons learned, and reflecting on how these insights will shape their future efforts. These presentations underscored their dedication to applying new ideas in practical and impactful ways. The successfully concluded forum highlighted the need for further cooperation, promoting meaningful discussions, skill-building, and networking. We will continue our work within the Enter: Change project, and we look forward to hosting another forum next year. The activities within the project ‘Enter: Change’ are financed by the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs within the #SlovenianAid and Partnerships programme and by the U.S. Embassy Ljubljana.

BiH’s Visionary Voices: Leading the Change forum is halfway through, offering an enriching experience for all participants. Participants have focused on discussing some interesting topics, including: 📈 challenges & opportunities of the Western Balkans and pathways to progress ⚖️ the principles of rule of law and democracy 📲 shaping impactful messages for the media through effective communication 🗨️ strategic communication in building democratic resilience and social cohesion 🌐 the role of media in fostering social change, with a focus on youth and citizenship Two workshops further encouraged participants to explore leadership in depth—examining its core competencies, reflecting on their leadership experiences, and considering how they can create meaningful change in their communities. In the remaining two days, participants will focus on gender equality, the role of women in the political context, and diversity. The activities of the project ‘Enter: Change’ are financed by the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs through the #SlovenianAid and Partnerships programme and by the U.S. Embassy Ljubljana.

🚀 STRATCOM Pilot Training Concludes at POTC! We are thrilled to share the successful completion of the "Strategic Communication (#StratCom) in the Contemporary Security Environment". Participants gained vital skills to navigate complex information environments, counter disinformation, and support peacekeeping through impactful narratives. Thank you to the Slovenian Armed Forces, the expert speakers and trainers, and the participants for making this pilot edition of the training a success. The lessons learned from this pilot training will be used to implement a second, updated edition of this activity next year. 🖇️ Read more at the link. Nina Raduha Peter C. Dejan Verčič Mitja Jermol Elizabeth Fry Nick Andrew OBE Liliana Brožič Petra Bezjak Cirman #StrategicCommunication #Peacekeeping #CapacityBuilding #InternationalCooperation

The “Enter: Change” Forum Has Officially Begun! The first forum of the “Enter: Change” project, BiH’s Visionary Voices: Leading the Change, kicked off today in Portorož. The Opening Ceremony featured speeches by: H.E. Mr. Dario Novalić, Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Slovenia H.E. Ms. Melania Arreaga, Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Slovenia Ms. Nina Cepon, Executive Director of CEP This forum brings together 12 promising young politicians from Bosnia and Herzegovina, who will engage in discussions and workshops on topics such as the rule of law, democracy, strategic communication, combating misinformation, diversity and inclusion, and youth political engagement. The activities within the project ‘Enter: Change’ are financed by the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs within the #SlovenianAid and Partnerships programme and by the U.S. Embassy Ljubljana.