Sofia, 25-27 May 2011

Upon the initiative of the EU Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) Secretariat and the Bulgarian State Commission on Information Security, the First Meeting of the South East European National Security Authorities took place on May 25, 2011 in Sofia under the topic “Regional Cooperation in the Field of the Functioning of the System for the Protection of Classified Information – Practice and Challenges, Faced by the South East Europe Countries”.

The meeting was attended by the heads and representatives of the National Security Authorities of the Republic of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Bulgaria, the Republic of Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia, the Republic of Moldova, the Republic of Montenegro, Romania, the Republic of Slovenia and the Republic of Serbia. The meeting was also attended by Mr. Hido Biščevič, the RCC Secretary General, Mr. David Galloway, Deputy Director-General of the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union and Mr. Giuseppe Benassi, the Head of the Policy Oversight Branch of the NATO Office of Security. Mr. Efrem Radev, the RCC Senior Security Expert, had the role of a co-chair during the working session.

Ohrid, 16-17 May 2011

Dr. Jochen Rehrl, a representative of the Ministry of Defence and Sports of the Republic of Austria, visited the Republic of Macedonia on 16-17 May 2011. The visit was accomplished within the preparations for the first High Level Conference of the EU member countries and the EU candidate countries to be held in the period from 12 to 15 September 2011 in Ohrid, in co-organization of the Directorate for Security of Classified Information (DSCI) and the European Security and Defence College, within the 2011 Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) Training Program.

Upon a request of Dr. Rehrl, the working meeting with the DSCI Director, was held in Ohrid in order for the guest to be acquainted with the event venue. After the possibilities offered by Ohrid and the Inex Gorica A.D. hotel had been determined, the draft agenda including the discussion topics was agreed on, as well as the inviting procedure. It was also agreed the event in September to be held under the title “High Level Conference: Europe’s Security Policy - Diplomacy, Defence and Development”.

The preparations for the high level conference are ongoing and in a short time the list of the lecturers will be finalised. It will include representatives of state organs and academic institutions, as well as concrete executives in certain defence missions and operations that the EU member countries and the EU candidate countries participate in.

Ljubljana, 11-12 May 2011

Upon the invitation of the National Security Authority (NSA) of the Republic of Slovenia, bilateral talks on the implementation of the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Macedonia and the Government of the Republic of Slovenia on the Exchange and Mutual Protection of Classified Information, signed on March 31, 2010 in Skopje and entered into force on January 1, 2011, were held in Ljubljana on 11-12 May 2011.

The talks included discussions on a number of issues related to the practical application of the provisions of the bilateral agreement in the mutual cooperation of the competent services of the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Slovenia in the field of the classified information and of the vetting procedures for the users of the classified information. Furthermore, opinions were exchanged on the possibility to extend the so called international assistance, i.e. the legal assistance during the vetting of the citizens belonging to one’s own country and residing or working in another country. Also, the Slovenian party briefed the Macedonian delegation on its activities within the Multinational Industrial Security Working Group (MISWG) and on its initiative the Republic of Macedonia to receive the status of observer, after which it could become a full-fledged member of the working group.

During the discussions the two parties also shared experiences on their cooperation with the other countries in the region and wider in Europe, as well as their opinions on the possibility to establish a communication link among the national security authorities of the countries in the former Yugoslav republics and wider in the Balkans.

Skopje, May 5, 2011

On 11 and 12 May 2011 in Ljubljana, upon an invitation of the National Security Authority of the Republic of Slovenia, bilateral discussions will be held on the implementation of the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Macedonia and the Government of the Republic of Slovenia on the Exchange and Mutual Protection of Classified Information, which was signed on March 31, 2010 in Skopje and entered into force on January 1, 2011.

The discussions at the highest level of the national security authorities of the two countries will include a number of issues concerning the practical application of the provisions of the bilateral agreement in the mutual cooperation among the competent services of the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Slovenia in the field of the protection of the classified information and the vetting procedures for the users of classified information.

Skopje, May 4, 2011

The visit of the US negotiating team (the National Disclosure Policy Committee (NDPC) security team), planned at first to take place at the beginning of May 2011 and then moved to the period from 2 to 6 May 2011, has been postponed upon a request of the US team due to their reasons. The US Embassy in Skopje has announced the coming of an additional proposal for a timeframe for accomplishing the visit within the bilateral negotiation process between the Republic of Macedonia and the USA for entering into a General Security Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA).

Brussels, March 2011

At the end of March 2011 in Brussels, upon the invitation of the Heads of DGA-SSCIS Information Assurance Unit and the DGA-SSCIS Security of Sensitive-CIS Unit, Mr. Ulrich Van Essen and Mr. Sebastian Léonnet, and in the presence of Mr. Stefan Wittmann, employee at the Information Assurance Office, the Director of the Directorate for Security of Classified Information (DSCI) had a meeting at the EU Council General Secretariat at which discussions were held on the new EU security regulation passed after the Lisbon Treaty, concerning the bilateral agreement with the U on exchange of classified information and the security arrangements for its implementation.

Furthermore, the discussion also included the information security processes underway in the EU member countries, the security of crypto-communication systems, as well as the implementation processes of these systems for the necessities of the DSCI in the work and the support that they were ready to offer in the area of the information assurance and crypto-protection. At the meeting, the DSCI Director received a certain amount of relevant EU materials concerning the issues on information assurance and crypto-protection.

Brussels, March 2011

Upon a request of the the Director of the Directorate for Security of Classified Information (DSCI), at the end of March 2011, a meeting and discussions were held in Brussels with the new NATO Office of Security Director, Mr. Stephen Smith and with Dr. Giuseppe Benassi, the Head of Policy (NOS/POB). The discussions included topics on the current issues related to the DSCI functioning, implementation of the Partnership Goal G 0360 I, as well as the ongoing activities in 2011. The NOS Director underlined that the good cooperation and the support to the DSCI would continue in the future and that all reports up to now have shown that the DSCI has achieved progress in its work related to the NATO classified information.

Skopje, March 2011

Within the 2011 Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) Training Program of the European Security and Defence College and the activities related to the National Program for approximation of the national legislation to the EU acquis communautaire (NPAA), the Directorate for Security of Classified Information (DSCI) will host the first alumni seminar of the EU member countries and the EU candidate countries, to be held in the period from 12 to 15 September 2011 in Ohrid.

In order to discuss the details on the organization of the seminar, the venue and the agenda, Dr. Jochen Rehrl from the Austrian Federal Ministry of Defence and Sports will visit the Republic of Macedonia on 16-17 May 2011.

Skopje, March 2011

Within the activities for entering into an agreement with the USA on the exchange and protection of classified information, preparations are ongoing for the visit of the US negotiating team (the National Disclosure Policy Committee (NDPC) security team) to the Republic of Macedonia to be accomplished from 2 to 6 May 2011.

This visit will represent the second phase of the bilateral negotiation process between the Republic of Macedonia and the USA for entering into a General Security Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA).

Skopje, February-March 2011

On two occasions, on February 17, 2011 and on March 3, 2011, the Directorate for Security of Classified Information conducted training of the employees of the General Secretariat of the Government of the Republic of Macedonia for working with classified information.

The trainees were trained in handling, safe-guarding and exchanging of national and of foreign classified information in the area of the administrative, physical, personnel, information and industrial security.