Council establishes the first ever European Union Diplomatic Academy to train EU diplomats

The Council today established the European Union Diplomatic Academy (EUDA).

The EUDA will provide education and training in the field of the EU’s external action, in particular the Common Foreign and Security Policy, to member states’ diplomats and EU institutions’ staff members working in the field of external relations, with the objective of developing and promoting a common understanding of the EU’s role in the world, disseminating best practices in relation to the conduct of the EU’s diplomacy, and consolidating the spirit of a ‘European diplomatic corps’.

The academy will ultimately contribute to the creation of a critical mass of European diplomats who possess a deeper understanding of the EU’s principles, objectives, values, interests and global role, and who are able to perform effectively, whether posted in Brussels, in EU delegations or within their national structures, when dealing with EU matters and addressing its strategic challenges.

The education and training activities will be implemented in partnership with the College of Europe, a renowned institute with long-standing experience in EU external action education and training, for the period covering the four academic years from 2024-2025 to 2027-2028.

The EUDA will work under the responsibility of the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and will receive guidance by a Steering Committee composed of one representative appointed by each member state, plus representatives of the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission.

The financial reference amount intended to cover the expenditure of the training programme during the period from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025 will be just over €1,7 million.

Background

In 2021, the European Parliament proposed a pilot project entitled ‘Towards the creation of a European Diplomatic Academy.’ The aim of that initiative was to support the development of a common diplomatic culture based on a EU perspective and ultimately strengthen the EU’s role as an effective foreign policy actor. The first pilot phase was launched and run with the support of the College of Europe over the academic year 2022/23, and then followed by a second pilot phase, over the academic year 2023/24.