Skopje, May 5, 2016

Upon invitation of the director of the Directorate of Security of Classified Information (DSCI), a bilateral director level meeting was held at the DSCI facility on May 5, 2016 with the representatives of National Security Authority of the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg.
The aim of the meeting was mutual introduction and determining the need for entering into an agreement in the field of security of classified information between the governments of the two countries. The emphasis was put on the organizational set-up, the structure and the competencies of the services in the both countries, as well as on the possibility to have bilateral negotiations for signing an agreement on exchange and mutual protection of classified information in the first half of the coming year.
The Luxembourgian delegation gave a short demonstration of the new concept of the electronic system for handing classified information up to level Restricted with fully implemented security measures and a selective access which was designed for the requirements of the Luxembourg EU presidency.

Brussels, 18-21 April 2016

A representative of the Directorate for Security of Classified Information was part of the group that accomplished the study visit to Brussels in the period from 18 to 21 April 2016. The visit, organized by the European Affairs (SEA), was the second phase of the training on Common Foreign and Security Policy and Cyber Security – Program 5: CFSP and cyber security.
The training was organized in the framework of the fifth cycle of the Norwegian training project Sustainable EU Training and Education System, aimed at enhancing the analytical capacities of the working groups for the drafting the NPAA, in preparation of the first phase of the negotiations (acquis analytical review).
The aim of the training/study visit was enhancing the analytical capacities and advancing the knowledge in the CFSP and cyber security through immediate introduction to the EU institutions and through discussions with foreign speakers and experts on current topics and issues of interest to the Euro-integration processes of the Republic of Macedonia.

Skopje, 19 - 20 April 2016

On 19-20 April 2016 in Skopje, with the use of the TAIEX instrument of the European Commission, the Directorate for Security of Classified Information organized the workshop on the “Overclassification of Classified Information in Correlation with the Objective Identification of the Need for Holding a Personnel Security Clearance - Best Practices and Experiences“.
The workshop was attended by about 60 representatives of state organs from the Republic of Macedonia in which classified information is handled, including the security services that perform the vetting procedures for the persons who have applied for a Personnel Security Clearance.
Along with the presentations of the director and the representatives of the Directorate for Security of Classified Information, guest speakers at the workshop were the representatives of the national security authorities of the Republic of Slovenia and the Kingdom of Spain, as well as the representative of the EU Council General Secretariat.
The follow-up discussions indicated the interest incurred by the topics discussed in the presentations, as well as the readiness of the participants for finding a solution to the problems incurred with the overclassification and the objective need for holding a security clearance.

Tel Aviv, 12-13 April 2016

After being established at the MISWG Conference held in September 2016 in Tel Aviv, Israel, the MISWG Ad-hoc Working Group on Foreign Ownership, Control or Influence - FOCI (ADWHG 10), held its first meeting on 12-13 April in Tel Aviv.
The meeting was attended by the representatives of the national industrial security authorities of the AHWG 10 member states; Israel, USA, Canada, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, Macedonia, Germany, Slovenia, Spain and New Zealand. The representatives of the Great Britain and of Australia were not present, while Sweden, as the host of the MISWG conference to be held in September 2017, participated in the capacity of an observer.
At the meeting national FOCI reports were presented and the future activities that need to be accomplished in the period approaching the MISWG 2017 conference were agreed on.

Prague, 7-10 March 2016

In the period from 7 to 10 March 2016 three representatives of the Directorate for Security of Classified Information accomplished a study visit to the National Security Authority of the Czech Republic. The visit was supported by the European Commission TAIEX instrument. The aim of the study visit was to exchange and obtain new experiences related to cyber security, with emphasis on the relevant EU and Czech regulations, the Czech experiences in the drafting of the cyber strategy and in the building of the National Cyber Security Centre, as well as on the experiences related to the protection from electromagnetic emanation (TEMPEST).

Skopje, February 25, 2016

Within the initiative for cooperation of the National Security Authorities (NSA) from the region, known as the 6S Initiative, the Directorate for Security of Classified Information of the Republic of Macedonia hosted the workshop on "Risk Elements in Personnel Security: Identification and Forestalling" on 25 February 2016 in Skopje. The workshop was attended by representatives of the NSAs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republic of Slovenia, Republic of Serbia, Republic of Montenegro and Republic of Croatia. Furthermore, the pool of participants at the workshop also included a significant number of representatives of the relevant national security services, academic institutions for security studies and the security officers of the relevant ministries in the country.
The Director of the Office of the Council for National Security and Classified Information Protection of the Government of the Republic of Serbia was the guest keynote speaker. The core of speakers also included the Director of the Directorate for Security of Classified Information and the representatives of the national security services that conduct the vetting procedures as a part of the process for issuing security clearances to the users of classified information.

Athens, December 16, 2016

Within the pilot project Enhancing cybersecurity, Protecting information and Communication networks - ENCYSEC", a representative of the Directorate for Security of Classified Information was a part of the group that visited the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA) in Athens on December 16, 2016. The project was funded by the EU under the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace, managed by EC DG DEVCO. The aim was to raise the level of security and the resilience of the information Communciation Technologies networks in the Republic of Macedonia, Moldova and Kosovo by building and training local capacities to adequately prevent, respond and prosecute cyber-attacks and/or accidental failures. The focus of the visit was put on the cyber security strategies and awareness raising, as well as on enhancing international cooperation.

Link to the story -> ENCYSEC Members visit ENISA

Skopje, 14-18 December 2015

A representative of the Directorate for Security of Classified Information took part in the training on Common Foreign and Security Policy and Cyber Security (CFSP and cyber security) held in the period from 14 to 18 December 2015, at the Training Centre of the Secretariat for European Affairs (SEA) in Skopje.
The training was organized in the framework of the fifth cycle of the Norwegian training project Sustainable EU Training and Education System, aimed at enhancing the analytical capacities of the working groups for the drafting the NPAA, in preparation of the first phase of the negotiations (acquis analytical review). As a result, the training was intended for the SEA employees and the members the relevant NPAA chapters: 31- Common Foreign and Security Policy and 24 – Justice, Freedom and Security, i.e. for the active members of the NPAA working groups and the coordinative structures for NPAA drafting, reviewing and monitoring. The aim of the Program 5 was enhancing the analytical capacities and advancing the knowledge in the field of Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and the Common Defence and Security Policy (CDSP).
The training was conducted by Luis Simon Navaro, Ph.D., professor researcher at the Institute for European Studies in Brussels, and Patryk Pawlak, Ph.D., analyst at the European Parliamentary Research Service.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen, 30 November – 17 December 2015

A representative from the Directorate for Security of Classified Information took part in the Program on Cyber Defense Study which took place in the European education centre “George C. Marshal” in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. The participation was organized under the patronage of the Cooperation Office for Defense of the US Embassy in the Republic of Macedonia. The objective of the training was reviewing the domestic and international challenges in cyber defense aimed at studying the nature and the complexity of today’s threats.

Oberammergau, 30 November – 04 December 2015

In the period from 30 November to 4 December 2015 a representative of the Directorate for Security of Classified information took part in the NATO Information Knowledge Management (IKM) course that took place in Oberammergau, Germany. The focus of this training was introducing the participants to the responsibilities and challenges in the planning and execution of NATO information management process.