Helsinki - The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), in partnership with the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats (Hybrid CoE) and with support from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, gathered 20 key Western Balkan stakeholders  - government, institutions, media, media regulatory authorities from the Western Balkans and civil society representatives - for a one-day workshop on media literacy, hybrid threats and disinformation, on 18 April 2023 in Hybrid CoE Headquarters in Helsinki. 

Through a combination of ex-cathedra, workshop, and practical lecture, the seminar dubbed The Importance of Media Literacy gave an insight to the participants on the importance of media literacy in fighting hybrid threats, as well as investing in countering disinformation, including the proper techniques, strategies and tactics. The participants showed the interest to continue exploring these topics, relying on the capacity building, and transferring and applying the know-how in our region. 

“A part of the RCC’s SecuriMeter survey referring to the impact of war in Ukraine on the Western Balkans shows that 78% of respondents are aware of significant increase of disinformation campaigns, while 60% of people said their government e-services were extremely vulnerable to cyber-attacks, or ill-prepared for cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure. RCC recognises the need of Western Balkan citizens to tackle these issues, and this workshop is one in a series of activities we are doing in this regard. Our intention is to build upon the previous knowledge and based on the region’s needs continue to systematically provide it with good strategies and practices, as a tool in strengthening media literacy and fighting hybrid threats and disinformation,” said Amer Kapetanovic, Head of RCC Political Department.

  
The workshop, aimed at continuously building the proper narrative on understanding the hybrid threats and disinformation and increasing awareness of its detrimental impact on various aspects of societal life in the Western Balkans, is fourth in a series of RCC-organised events on disinformation, and a follow-up to discussions from the third disinformation conference held in June last year. 

Hybrid CoE is an autonomous, network-based international organisation countering hybrid threats. Participation in the Centre’s activities is open to all EU and NATO countries, and the number of Participating States has grown to include 33 states today. Hybrid CoE’s mission is to strengthen its Participating States’ and organisations’ security by providing expertise and training for countering hybrid threats. The Centre’s vision is a world in which our open, democratic societies operate free of hostile outside interference.

More info on previous conferences on disinformation:
https://www.rcc.int/news/661/miscevic-we-must-work-together-on-developing-a-culture-of-critical-media-literacy-in-our-societies-and-build-disinformation-resilience
https://www.rcc.int/news/717/kapetanovic-addressing-the-spread-of-disinformation-should-be-an-integral-part-of-the-overall-security-policy
https://www.rcc.int/news/763/kapetanovic-disinformation-is-neither-an-overnight-phenomenon-nor-can-it-have-an-overnight-solution