First Counter-Terrorism Support Network workshop takes place in Budapest

The Western Balkans Partnership against Crime and Terrorism project (WB PaCT) brought together counter-terrorism and strategic analysis officials at CEPOL Headquarters in Budapest on 3–4 December for the first workshop of the Counter-Terrorism Support Network (CTSN). The activity marked an important milestone for regional cooperation, setting the groundwork for a more harmonised approach to terrorism threat assessments across the Western Balkans.

Over two days, participants focused on assessing current practices, identifying gaps, and exploring how a standardised methodology could improve the usability of threat assessments at both beneficiary and regional level. The workshop highlighted the importance of aligning these approaches with EU and Europol standards, particularly as the threat landscape evolves and requires stronger analytical capabilities.

“By supporting a shift towards shared models and procedures, CTSN aims to help us move from fragmented practices to a coordinated regional framework that strengthens operational decision-making and improves the quality of intelligence available to practitioners,” said Zoran Papić, lead investigator in the Counter-Terrorism Department, State Investigation and Protection Agency, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Established by WB PaCT in 2022, the CTSN has now entered a new phase. The CTSN activities for this phase are aligned with the new Joint Action Plan on Counterterrorism for the Western Balkans (JAP), signed at the EU – Western Balkans Ministerial Forum on Justice and Home Affairs on 30 October 2025 in Sarajevo. The JAP provides the strategic direction for future CTSN work, ensuring that national efforts in the region move steadily towards EU standards and shared analytical approaches.

The Budapest workshop is the first in a multi-year programme of CTSN activities that will run from 2025 to 2028. Future activities will support the development of a framework for a uniform approach to terrorism threat assessments at beneficiary level, as well as a terrorism situation and trend report at regional level.

With this first workshop, WB PaCT and CTSN have taken an important step towards building a coordinated and robust regional capability to assess and respond to terrorism threats across the Western Balkans.