On April 16, 2025, the 4th Steering Committee meeting of the European Project “Enhancing protection of public spaces and critical infrastructure in the Western Balkans” was held in Tirana. This initiative is funded by the European Commission and implemented by CIVIPOL.
The meeting brought together representatives from the implementing organization, CIVIPOL, including the Project Team Leader, Mr. Amin Boutaghane, as well as delegations from French, Croatian, Italian, and Greek authorities. Also in attendance were representatives from the six beneficiary countries of the region: Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Serbia.
As the host country, Albania was represented by the Director of the CVE Center and National Coordinator against Violent Extremism, Ms. Lejdi Dervishi, along with the Director of the Counter-terrorism Directorate in ASP, Mr. Alban Dautaj. In her opening speech, Ms. Dervishi emphasized the importance of the activities carried out within the framework of the project, both for the Albanian authorities and for the other countries in the region.
During the meeting, activities implemented from October 2024 to April 2025 were presented, along with progress reports for each participating country. Furthermore, participants were introduced to the upcoming activities for the period from May 2025 to February 2026, which aim to further strengthen the protection of public spaces and critical infrastructure across the region.