The College of Europe is proud to announce that it has been awarded with the contract for the Pilot Programme of the European Diplomatic Academy. The contract, managed by the European External Action Service (EEAS) will be implemented by the College of Europe in Bruges, together with the College of Europe in Natolin (Warsaw). The pilot programme will lay the basis for the establishment of a fully-fledged European Diplomatic Academy.
The aim is to provide a long-term, comprehensive, and intensive residential training programme, bringing together a renowned faculty and key technical and digital means for the delivery of all necessary knowledge and skills in EU Diplomacy and fostering an esprit de corps and a sense of belonging.
From September 2022 until May 2023, the College of Europe in Bruges will provide academic and practical training to more than 45 European young diplomats, as well as officials from EU institutions on the formulation and implementation of EU Common Foreign and Security Policy as well as the overall EU external action.
The programme will start at the end of August 2022 at the Natolin Campus with a two-week study trip including a focus on the EU’s Eastern frontier and external relations. The study trip aims at letting participants experience first-hand the reality of a security and refugee crisis through study visits to Frontex, UNHRCR, the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and visits to the border with Ukraine and Belarus.
The College of Europe, the first ever postgraduate institute entirely devoted to European affairs, has been chosen to host the pilot of the European Diplomatic Academy as it offers a unique combination of high-level academic and professional excellence and a European living experience promoting networking and intercultural elements.
The College formula ensures that participants live together throughout the programme, in a challenging and highly stimulating multicultural environment in the heart of Europe. For nine months the diplomats will live, study, and be housed in one of the residences located in the city centre of Bruges and will enjoy the social events as well as cultural and sport activities that the city offers.
The Rector of the College of Europe, Ms Federica Mogherini, is the Director of the Academy and will have the overall responsibility for the design and implementation of the pilot programme.
After the creation of a the EEAS in 2010, the 2016 Global Strategy and the 2022 Strategic Compass, the European Diplomatic Academy will be another important step towards strengthening the EU as a global actor. The College of Europe is proud to be part of this endeavour.
This project is funded by the European Union.
For more information about the European External Action Service (EEAS), please visit the website EEAS | EEAS Website (europa.eu)
For specific information about the College of Europe, please visit the website College of Europe | Collège d'Europe | Coleurope