The CyberSEE project and CYBERKOP action of the Octopus project supported the SEEDIG 10, a leading regional initiative that brings together stakeholders from across South-East Europe for multistakeholder discussions on Internet governance and digital policy. Held under the theme “A Decade of Dialogue and Cooperation: What’s Next?”, the conference offers a platform to reflect on past achievements while fostering forward-looking dialogue on the future of digital governance and regional collaboration.

The event explored how digital transformation, governance, and ethics are redefining public institutions, media, and civic trust across South-Eastern Europe. Discussions on AI integration, public sector innovation, and digital governance emphasized both the progress and the challenges of digitalisation, interoperability, and ethical accountability. It also highlighted digital governance as a pillar of democratic resilience and regional integration, aligning regional digital policies with EU frameworks such as the Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act.

The Council of Europe places digital threats, such as disinformation, algorithmic manipulation and information operations, at the core of its democratic renewal agenda. In line with this commitment, it supported two dedicated sessions at the event. The first, “Cyber Interference with Democracy”, built on the similar session during the Octopus Conference this year, examined how information and communication technologies are misused to manipulate democratic institutions, electoral processes and public trust. Drawing on recent cases of election-related cyber interference, it outlined key forms of such threats and discussed preventive and responsive measures in accordance with principles of human rights, democracy and the rule of law, based on the standards of the Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention).

The second session, “Public-Private Policy Dialogue: Human Rights and Digital Business”, explored how digital transformation impacts human rights, highlighting ethical challenges and opportunities. It focused on the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence, showcasing tools and practices for transparency and accountability, and emphasizing public-private collaboration in South-Eastern Europe to align digital innovation with human rights and democratic values.

Additionally, the CyberSEE project and the CYBERKOP action of the Octopus Project facilitated the participation of delegates from criminal justice authorities in the region, including senior officials from Ministries of Justice, representatives of prosecution services, and members of national working groups on legislative amendments, allowing them to benefit from the event for their domestic work on cybercrime legislation.

On the margins of the event, bilateral meetings were held with the delegations of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and North Macedonia to discuss next steps and potential support in advancing domestic legal reforms related to the implementation of the Second Additional Protocol to the Budapest Convention