The European Diplomatic Academy (formally European Union Diplomatic Academy) is a

diplomatic Diplomatics (in American English, and in most anglophone countries), or diplomatic (in British English), is a scholarly discipline centred on the critical analysis of documents, especially historical documents. It focuses on the conventions, pr ...

training programme launched by the

European External Action Service The European External Action Service (EEAS) is the diplomatic service in charge of executing all Foreign relations of the European Union, international relations of the European Union. The EEAS is led by the Vice-President of the European Co ...

in 2022 after the proposal made by the European Parliament in 2021, with the goal of building a fully-fledged

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

diplomatic corps that can promote EU foreign policy and external interests. It is run by the

College of Europe The College of Europe (; ; ) is a post-graduate institute of European studies with three campuses in Bruges, Belgium; Warsaw, Poland; and Tirana, Albania. The College of Europe in Bruges was founded in 1949 as a result of the 1948 Congress of ...

. The pilot project "Towards the creation of a European Diplomatic Academy", whose author is

Nacho Sánchez Amor José Ignacio "Nacho" Sánchez Amor (; born 1960) is a Spanish politician who was elected as a Member of the European Parliament in 2019. Early life and education Born on 15 May 1960 in Cáceres, he was raised in Jaraíz de la Vera. He moved t ...

, was presented by this MEP in April 2021 to the EP's Foreign Affairs Committee (AFET). The proposal was evaluated by the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...

and the

and confirmed that, after certain modifications, the project could be implemented. In September 2021, MEP

, within the framework of his work on a broader review of the EU's External Action, submitted the proposal through the European Parliament Report on the EU Annual Budget 2022. Currently in its pilot programme stage, from September 2022 until May 2023, its participants are trained on EU foreign and security policies with practical and theoretical training modules. At the start of the programme, a two-week study trip to the EU's Eastern border provides first-hand contact with the reality of a security and refugee crisis through visits to

Frontex The European Border and Coast Guard Agency, commonly known as Frontex (from French ''frontières extérieures'', "external borders"), is an agency of the European Union headquartered in Warsaw, Poland. In coordination with the border and coast gu ...

UNHCR The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and Humanitarian protection, protect refugees, Internally displaced person, forcibly displaced communities, and Statelessness, s ...

, the

Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

, and visits to the border with

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

and

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

. A first group of 42 young diplomats was selected and sent from the

EU member states The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated population of over 449million as of 2024. The EU is often de ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, the

Western Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

countries and EU institutions to participate in the project. The first Director of the Academy, with the overall responsibility for the design of the programme, is

Federica Mogherini Federica Mogherini (; born 16 June 1973) is an Italian politician who served as High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission from 2014 to 2019. A member of the Democratic ...

, Rector of the College of Europe. The , the

European University Institute The European University Institute (EUI) is an international postgraduate and post-doctoral research-intensive university and an intergovernmental organisation with juridical personality, established by its founding member states to contribu ...

, and the

Centre for European Policy Studies The Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) is a leading think tank based in Brussels, Belgium. It was established in 1983. Its primary tasks are to conduct rigorous, evidence-based policy research on European and global issues, to serve as a ...

are running a feasibility study for the establishment of a permanent European Diplomatic Academy. On 23 March 2022,

submitted a proposal for the extension of the pilot project for another year and, following the evaluation by the

, the extension was introduced and approved within the 2023 EU Annual Budget Report.

References

{{Reflist College of Europe Diplomatic training European External Action Service 2022 establishments in Belgium European Parliament European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs