The European Diplomatic Academy Pilot Programme has begun at Natolin

The first week of the intensive European Diplomatic Academy (EDA) pilot programme has concluded at the College of Europe in Natolin.

The week’s activity saw the 39 young diplomats and EU officials meet their co-participants in the programme upon arrival to campus on Sunday, 28 August, and engage in team-building exercises throughout the next day. Tuesday and Wednesday contained intensive schedules with focus on the ENP, migration, human rights, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. On Thursday and Friday, the programme continued in this intensive guise - with high-level discussions focusing on the impact of the war, and its consequences not only for the Ukrainian people, but also for Poland and the EU. The initial sequence of activities in Warsaw included visits to the OSCE/ODIHR, the Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW), the Polish Institute for Foreign Affairs (PISM), as well as the FRONTEX headquarters. The participants concluded their sessions in Warsaw on Saturday, 3 September, departing the following day to continue their programme in the south-eastern Polish city of Rzeszów.

The Rzeszów schedule offered participants a first-hand experience of the reality of a security and refugee crisis through visits to the border with Ukraine and Belarus, and refugee reception points run by Medyk dla Zdrowia Foundation. The programme further included meetings with UNICEF, CORE, and US and Polish army representatives, along with visits to the UNHCR field mission, before participants returned to Warsaw on Wednesday morning.

The European Diplomatic Academy is a 9-month pilot programme managed by the European External Action Service (EEAS), and implemented by the College of Europe in Bruges, together with the College of Europe in Natolin (Warsaw). The programme will lay the basis for the establishment of a fully-fledged European Diplomatic Academy to be implemented by the College of Europe in Bruges, together with the College of Europe in Natolin (Warsaw). The programme began at Natolin at the end of August 2022.

For more information about the European External Action Service (EEAS), please visit the website EEAS | EEAS Website (europa.eu).