On 9 December 2025, the CyberSEE joint project of the European Union and the Council of Europe organised its fourth Steering Committee Meeting, gathering representatives of the European Commission, the European Union Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Council of Europe, and officials from the criminal justice authorities of all project countries/areas. The meeting provided a complete overview of the project’s achievements in 2025 and clear insights into how the delivered outcomes align with the scope of the action.
The meeting highlighted the support provided to the legal reforms in the project countries/areas through a mix of practical activities organised at domestic, regional, and international levels. These achievements followed tailor-made roadmaps for each country/areas and included high-level meetings with decision makers, assessments of existing national laws, and technical workshops with national working groups to draft the necessary amendments. The signature by Bosnia and Herzegovina of the Second Additional Protocol to the Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention) and the development of Serbia’s Cybercrime Strategy were acknowledged as key results.
Regarding the enhancement of the capacities of criminal justice authorities, the discussions focused on the training activities delivered systematically, from basic to specialised and advanced courses, at both domestic and regional levels. These efforts culminated with the sustainable Training-of-Trainers (ToT) component, implemented across both law-enforcement and judicial institutions. The participants also reviewed how the priority areas of developing capacities to investigate Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (OCSEA), tackling the illegal use of cryptocurrencies, and taking an active role in the EMPACT policy cycle, were actively supported by the project.
The event further explored how new concepts such as Cyber Games and the CYBERVAW Conference, scaled up and emerged as global events that engaged practitioners and institutions beyond the project region. The participants also underlined how cooperation with the cybersecurity industry has been enhanced and complemented the project’s work with criminal justice authorities, with the 2025 Underground Economy being the most relevant example.
The meeting also provided the project team with a clear perspective on the next steps, and the upcoming project calendar was agreed upon, including continued support for legislative reforms and guidance to the national working groups, specialised training, and the development of new concepts such as the Cyber-Skills Sharing Programme and Crypto Pack.
Overall, considering the complete and well-balanced set of activities consistently delivered across all pillars of the project, and the tangible results achieved, the CyberSEE’s work in 2025 was acknowledged as positive and impactful.
Cybercrime Programme Office (C-PROC)