Agenda

Helsinki Security Forum brings together leaders and foreign policy experts to discuss the global implications of current international security issues, resilience, and defense capabilities from the perspective of Northern Europe. The theme of HSF 2023 is Deter, Defend and Secure – Europe in the Era of Radical Uncertainty. In 2023, war continues to ravage Ukraine, with repercussions for global security. Europe has been moved to a new era of radical uncertainty, one in which we need to address the question of how Europe should be defended and secured. Thinking about future security architectures, needed military capabilities, and cooperation to address geopolitical changes has never been more important.

Learn more here.

The official website of the European Union (www.europa.eu) is the biggest digital portal on the net. It is also the point of entry to an immense plethora of digital resources for professionals working with the EU, economic operators who want to pursue business in the EU, citizens and consumers living and working in the EU and academics and scholars researching about the EU. Moreover, a countless number of other websites (either free or commercial) have flourished over the years augmenting even more the information offer ready to be accessed.

This hands-on, practical and interactive online course has as an aim to provide its audience with a chart on the most useful and practical EU information resources, and demonstrate to them which tools to use to quickly obtain official documents, publications, statistics, open data and legal information about EU, how to intervene in EU consultations and express and voice interests in the making of EU legislation.

What will you learn?

Thanks to this online course, you will learn how to find quickly and efficiently:

• policy initiatives, legislative proposals and work programmes;
• legislation, case law and summaries of legislation;
• policy papers and press releases;
• contact information, ‘who’s who’ and ‘who’s doing what’ in the EU.

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From 2021 the judiciary, prosecutorial services, legal practitioners, and law enforcement officials of the Member States have been working with the European Public Prosecutor’s Office in tackling large-scale, cross-border crimes against the EU budget. Understanding the  competencies of the EPPO and how it may affect national criminal procedure and law is one of the key challenges for the community of legal professionals in the EU.

Based on Regulation (EU) 2017/1939, the EPPO is a vital asset for the handling of criminal investigations and prosecutions related to crimes against the EU’s financial interest.

The course provides a practice-oriented introduction to the working structures and functions of the EPPO and explains how it will collect evidence, investigate, and conduct prosecutions in cooperation with national authorities in winding up crimes against the EU’s financial interest.

The objective of the course is to make legal practitioners ready to work with the EPPO by explaining what competencies and procedures the EPPO has at its disposal and how national law complements those.

You will learn

• In what cases does the EPPO proceed?
• How does the EPPO investigate and prosecute?
• How does the EPPO work with national authorities in the field of criminal justice?

By the end of the course, you will have acquired

• The know how to work with the EPPO on a daily basis in combatting crimes against the EU’s financial interest, what procedural safeguards are in place, and what judicial review is available in cases handled by the EPPO.
• a distinguished understanding of:
  • crimes against the financial interests of the EU combatted chiefly by the EPPO,
  • competences of the EPPO in carrying out investigations and prosecutions and its cooperation with national authorities, Eurojust, EUORPOL, OLAF, and non-participating Member States,
  • procedural safeguards and judicial review of the EPPO measures and proceedings.

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The course Data Protection: Refresher and Advanced Course for DPOs and Data Protection Experts and Hands-on Module will allow you to immerse yourself in one week solely dedicated to data protection issues. These two modules will provide you with substantial knowledge in the field of data protection as well as practical knowledge on how to apply it, in the form of interactive workshops.

You can choose to book only:

• Data Protection: Refresher and Advanced course for DPOs and Data Protection Experts – if you want to renew your DPO certification
• Data Protection: Hands-on module – if you do not want to renew your DPO certification but only want to complement your knowledge with practical ‘on the job’ workshops

Module 1 – Refresher and Advanced Course for DPOs and Data Protection Experts (9-11 October)

We believe in constantly updating professional knowledge, particularly in the field of data protection. In a time of unprecedented challenges posed by ever-evolving technologies and different ways to use personal data, continuous learning and updating your expertise is crucial.

The data protection officer (DPO) is a key element of accountability in every organisation as required by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) And Regulation 2018/1725 (EUDPR). However, the expectations and knowledge required for the DPO are multifaceted. That requires not only mastering the GDPR or the EUDPR, but also being familiar with practical aspects of ensuring secure personal data processing and responding to data breaches.

This is why a multifaceted approach in delivering this Refresher and Advanced Course for DPOs and Data Protection Experts course is paramount. Experts and practitioners at the forefront of data protection will guide you along the legal framework of the European data protection legislation, while elaborating on some of the most pressing privacy-related issues that have emerged in the context of the pandemic.

This course is designed to help you to refresh and update your data protection knowledge. Concrete examples regarding the data protection legislative framework, analysis of the new CJEU case law, guidelines from the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) as well as relevant and realistic case studies will help you to refine your expertise and deepen your understanding of your duties and responsibilities. You will be able to benefit from the knowledge of the trainers to support the performance of your daily tasks, make it easier to deal with challenging and complex issues in a structured way, and take decisions that are pragmatic, but still compliant.

Module 2 – Hands-on Module (12-13 October)

User-generated data and the exponential industrial value of data is increasing every day. Therefore, putting together a formal set of data protection policies and procedures is essential, regardless of the size of your company or the sector it operates within. This significant step in data protection compliance is crucial to ensuring your business is built to protect the information you process on employees, customers, partners and all other parties whose data may come into your possession. Lastly, it is crucial to put in place safeguards after experiencing a data breach.

Do you need practical knowledge on how to deal with data protection related issues? Are you in doubt about how to implement requirements set out in the GDPR or EUDPR in your organisation? Do you have the knowledge but lack practical experience in the data protection field?

This course is designed to provide practical, hands-on experience to complement your existing knowledge in the field of data protection. The hands-on module is primarily focused on enhancing the day-to-day work of DPOs and anyone working in the field of data protection. You will benefit from the trainers’ knowledge and practical experience by participating in the interactive workshops.

The hands-on module is an extraordinary opportunity to put your data protection knowledge into practice. This course employs a methodology focused on practical workshops that will be moderated by practitioners in the field. The workshops will use various simulations that will allow you to learn by doing.

What will you learn:

• How to deal with controllers’ expectations and manage diverging objectives in the business environment (stakeholder management);
• How to ensure data protection by design and by default in a fast-changing digital and legal environment;
• How to assess data protection compliance and how it is interlinked with IT security;
• Risk analysis and management;
• How to assess issues related to personal data transfers;
• What actions to take in case of personal data breaches;
• How to implement controls;
• The tasks and responsibilities of the DPO;
• How to audit an ICT provider;
• The difference between anonymisation, pseudo-anonymisation and encryption;
• How to conduct a data protection impact assessment;
• What is a data processing agreement and its practical implications;
• How to counter opposition from the rest of the organisation – a view from the DPO perspective;
• How to ensure data protection compliant migration to a cloud computing service provider;
• How to draft a data breach protocol and effectively raise awareness;
• How to act after a significant data breach, including audit and lessons learnt.

Read more here.

A sophisticated understanding of the Court of Justice of the European Union’s (CJEU) procedures, practices and case law is a quintessential element to successfully litigate before EU jurisdictions. During this highly practical course you will learn the insights and professional skills related to the annulment actions before EU courts, the only procedure where not only EU institutions and Member States but also private individuals can act and directly challenge EU acts before the CJEU.

The advanced course on the ‘Action for Annulment: Procedural Aspects and Strategies’ will enhance your knowledge on this fundamental procedure of EU law and on the acts that can be challenged before the CJUE.

What will you learn

You will become acquainted with the different procedural avenues that individuals can use to contest the legality of EU policies and acts (private vs public enforcement).

You will gain a professional insight into the action for annulment, the only procedure where private individuals are parties before the CJEU and can directly challenge EU acts.

The rules on legal standing applicable to private individuals will be studied and clarified; you will then understand in which instances you could become a party in EU judicial proceedings.

Through case law and policy illustrations, you will have the opportunity to discuss issues of admissibility in specific matters (e.g. merger control, state aid, anti-dumping, access to documents, public contracts).

The course will also provide you with guidance on how to present legal arguments during the written and the oral phase of the proceedings. Through the detailed discussion of the Rules of Procedure of the General Court, you will obtain answers to your questions on procedural issues such as submissions, interim measures and appeals which may be relevant during the action.

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This comprehensive seminar will provide you with an understanding of the principles and procedures of European public procurement policy, focusing on the Public Procurement Directives and relevant case law. You will be guided through the Public Procurement Directive 2014/24/EU and the Utilities Directive 2014/25/EU. During the seminar you will receive insights into the application of professional procurement practices.

The four-day programme will begin with an ‘Introductory Seminar: European Public Procurement for Newcomers to Procurement’, which will start on 28 February 2023. The three-day ‘Practitioners’ Seminar: European Public Procurement Rules, Policy and Practice’ will commence on the following day.

If you are confident of all the basics, and do not feel that you need any further training on it, you can also register for the Practitioners’ Seminar only.

This seminar is part of the programme for obtaining EIPA’s European Certification for public procurement professionals.

What will you learn:

After the four-day seminar you should have:

• a good understanding of the European rules and principles on public procurement, including case law
• awareness of the various phases in the procurement cycle and its practical implications
• insights into professional procurement practices
• an exchange of experiences with professionals from other countries and organisations in dealing with public procurement

See more information here.

Nearly 400 new Structural and Cohesion Funds programmes for the period 2021-2027 were agreed before the end of 2022 and are now being implemented. Member States have set up monitoring systems and many are still finalising Evaluation Plans for the new period. Are you aware of what the New Regulations say about the new monitoring and evaluation requirements?

Many programme authorities continue to conduct evaluations of their 2014-2020 programmes and projects, as well as planning evaluations for the 2021-2027 period. Are the managing authorities collecting the best possible monitoring and evaluation data? Are they aware of how to measure the impact of interventions and what evaluation methods to use – theory-based or counterfactual? Are they considering ex-post CBA?

Member State Recovery and Resilience Fund plans are being implemented rapidly. How do their monitoring procedures and data needs differ from Cohesion Policy?

What will you learn:

This face-to-face course in Prague is over 3 days:

• Day 1 deals with the new monitoring requirements, choice of programme indicators, data challenges and the new Performance Framework. Helena Barbořáková, a highly experienced Czech Ministry official, will assess the lessons learnt from 2014-2020 and the implications of the new requirements for programmes in 2021-2027.
• We will also review a selection of new Programmes and look at the Reporting template for the new Structural Funds programmes, highlighting the special link between finance and performance, and how will you report programme progress.
• We look at how RRF plans in Member States will be monitored and evaluated
• Days 2 & 3 examine the preparation of Evaluation Plans and how to conduct impact evaluations (and “evaluations during the programming period”). Dr. Vladimir Kváča, a leading evaluation consultant-economist, will help us plan realistic evaluations – ones that are useful for evaluation stakeholders. He will consider the appropriate timing of evaluation studies and the implications for data gathering. We will review the two recommended broad evaluation methods – theory-based and counterfactual evaluations – and the choices for project / programme evaluations on the ground.
• We will also describe how to complete an ex post cost-benefit analysis (ex post CBA) for infrastructure and other large projects.

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This highly practical three-day course will give you a complete overview and detailed understanding of all practical aspects of control and different types of audits of EU Funds in the programming period 2021-2027, including Next Generation EU. It covers:

• Focused reminder of the relevant legislation and standards
• Methods of increasing efficiency of control and audits
• Risk based management verifications by the MAs and their evaluation
• Fraud prevention landscape in the management and implementation process of ESI Funds and NEXTGENERATION EU
• Practical knowhow through workshops on audit of public procurement, audit of State Aid, and Performance audit.

The unique feature of this course is that it covers the experience of audit experts from EU Commission, OLAF, European Court of Auditors (ECA), and Audit Authorities of Member States.

What will you learn:

We have made this course very practical and interactive. All presentations conducted by audit experts include concrete examples and real-life case studies. Each of them is followed by a practical workshop in small working groups with direct involvement of ECA’s expert, where you will learn about errors and irregularities and about how audits are performed, including many real-life cases.

Learn more here.

“I’m participating in that meeting in Brussels next week. Is it an expert group or a comitology committee?”
“I need to brief the boss about what to expect. Will the Commission ask her to vote?”
“How can I know where our issue is in the EU decision process, and what comes next?”

Simple questions, the answers to which may be complex, and yet can make your job easier. This course will get you up to speed on the essential elements of how the EU system works: the different powers that the EU has, who does what, and how you can have a role in shaping EU decisions. It is concise but thorough, and focusses in detail on EU law-making.

To get maximum benefits out of this course, irrespective of your level of knowledge on EU decision-making, we have included a preliminary online module that introduces the foundations of decision-making in the EU.

What will you learn:

• The legal bases for what the EU can and cannot do
• The main ways in which decisions are taken
• The different powers that Member States have given to the EU
• The differences between legislative acts, implementing acts (the world of ‘comitology’!) and the new delegated acts, relating them to their place in the EU policy cycle, as well as in the hierarchy of laws.
• The decision-making procedures within the Commission, the Council and the European Parliament, and the ways in which national officials and other stakeholders fit into the policy process.
• The ordinary legislative procedure and how a ‘trilogue’ works.
• Delegated and implementing acts using topical cases.

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The Treaty of Rome made no mention of human rights. Six decades later, fundamental rights are consecrated as one of the core values of the European Union and fundamental rights protection is a major concern in all of the EU’s policy areas. Public administrations (whether EU or national) as well as private companies are expected to respect human rights and are closely watched in this respect by courts, EU institutions, shareholders, investors and civil society.

This course proposes to explain the legal and policy system that the EU has established over the years to protect and promote fundamental rights, to a point where fundamental rights have become relevant to all aspects of economic and social activities in the EU.

We will first discuss the place of fundamental rights in the EU system of legal norms and explain their role as a mechanism to control the legality of EU policies and instruments vis-à-vis individuals, whether exercised by the EU or indirectly by Member States. We will pay close attention to the Charter of fundamental Rights, highlighting the breadth of its scope and the innovative nature of many of the rights it enshrines. The efforts undertaken both by the EU decision-making institutions and the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) to make the Charter effective will be examined.

We will also analyse the relationship of EU fundamental rights to other sets of legal rules (the Internal Market, the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice) and other legal systems: we will discuss the state of play regarding the EU’s accession to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), and we will also look at how the EU promotes the protection of human rights on a global scale.

In order to provide for a practical perspective, we will introduce throughout the course certain specific examples of fundamental rights: the prohibition on discrimination, the right to the protection of personal data, the prohibition on torture and inhuman or degrading treatment, the duties of private companies with regard to human rights due diligence.

What will you learn:

Participants at the end of this course will have a good understanding of: EU legal and policy concepts related to fundamental rights, and the legal obligations to integrate and mainstream fundamental rights protection of individuals and ensuring the effectiveness of this protection across all EU policy areas, both in the public and the private sector.

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Over time, Russia’s hostile relations with the West have surged, culminating in what looks like a near total break linked to Russia’s intense war on Ukraine. In this year’s annual Russia conference, we examine the spiral of hostilities since the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea and invasion of the Donbas.How have words mattered? Is official political rhetoric merely propaganda, and does it influence relations between Russia and the West on a more fundamental level? What are the trade-offs between threat of force and talk across the table? Finally, considering Russia’s war against Ukraine, what are the prospects for Russia–Europe relations?

The conference will feature scholars such as Viacheslav Morozov (University of Tartu, Estonia), Gwendolyn Sasse (Director of ZOiS, Berlin, Germany), Gerard Toal (Virginia Tech, USA), Julie Wilhelmsen and other NUPI fellows.

Read more here.