25. 11. 2025 | EUTI, Peace and security, PR
The Centre for European Perspective and the European Union Training Initiative took part in the European Security and Defence College’s Annual Training and Education Conference, held over two days at the historic Egmont Palace in Brussels.
This year’s conference focused on practical and innovative ways to enhance the effectiveness of the training cycle within the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy. Participants worked through each key stage of the EU training loop — Training Needs, Standardisation & Adaptation, Innovation & Methodology, and Evaluation & Uptake — through a series of appetiser discussions and targeted breakout groups.
Representatives of the Centre for European Perspective and the European Union Training Initiative contributed to the appetiser discussion on Standardisation & Adaptation and led one of the breakout groups within this segment. Their session explored the crucial balance between standardised curricula and the necessary flexibility or adjustability of training formats. The discussion highlighted the importance of aligning training with real operational contexts while maintaining coherence across the broader EU framework.
Beyond the working sessions, the conference served as an excellent platform to exchange best practices, discuss emerging needs, and strengthen cooperation with partners from across Europe. The atmosphere encouraged open dialogue and the sharing of forward-looking ideas that will contribute to further improving training standards at the EU level.
The Centre for European Perspective and the European Union Training Initiative extend their appreciation to the European Security and Defence College for organising a well-structured and engaging conference, and for fostering a community dedicated to enhancing the quality and impact of EU training.
24. 11. 2025 | POTC, PR
OPEN CALL FOR APPLICATIONS – deadline 9 January 2025
Kliknite tukaj za branje članka v slovenskem jeziku.
POTC’s Gender in Operations 5-day training programme will be delivered in cooperation between the Peace Operations Training Center and the European Security and Defence College (ESDC). The residential part of the training will take place at Jable Castle in Loka pri Mengšu, Slovenia, from 23 to 27 February 2026, with individual e-learning planned before arriving to the training.
Purpose of the Training: The training aims to boost operational effectiveness by equipping participants with the knowledge and skills needed to integrate a gender perspective into CSDP and international missions and operations.
Target Audience: This program is tailored for up to 20 civilian experts, police officers, and military personnel—either currently deployed or preparing for deployment in international missions. Ideal participants include mid-level military officials, civilians (including police), and diplomats from EU Member States, EU institutions, and relevant agencies. It is also open to individuals from third countries who are involved in, or plan to join, CSDP, NATO, OSCE, or UN missions, or who are assigned to roles in fragile states.
The working language of the training will be English, and no translation services will be provided.
Attendance is free of charge for all selected participants (no tuition fee).
Sending authorities need to cover all costs for their participants’ travel and accommodation (including breakfast) during the residential part of the course.
During the training, POTC will cover the costs for:
– daily local transport (bus) between the designated hotel and the course venue;
– all costs connected with attending any social/cultural event;
– lunch, beverages and other refreshments provided during the training course at Jable castle.
More information can be found here.
Participants can apply only via the ESDC secure internet system ENLIST, by designated nominators, under https://esdc.europa.eu/enlist/login no later than 9 January 2026. A list with relevant ENLIST nominators can be retrieved from the ESDC website at https://esdc.europa.eu/nominators/. Registration will not be final until confirmed by the ESDC Secretariat and upon the confirmed participants’ completion of the requested personal data in ENLIST.
For any additional questions regarding the application procedure, please contact both Fernando Angelo at [email protected] or Dimitrij Pahor at [email protected].
Follow us on social media for more POTC news and content:
LinkedIn • X • Facebook • Bluesky
20. 11. 2025 | POTC, PR
Peace Operations Training Centre (POTC) is organising a Webinar on EU Funding Opportunities for Ukraine – Focus on »Horizon Europe« for experts in disaster management, and prevention and preparedness planning who could potentially manage EU-funded projects and/or be involved in project activities.
Kliknite tukaj za branje članka v slovenskem jeziku.
A tailor-made webinar was designed based on high level of interest expressed by State Emergency Service of Ukraine participants of the Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management Training, which was held in May this year in Rzeszow, Poland.
The EU-Funding Opportunities for Ukraine webinar will offer a focused overview of key EU funding mechanisms, with particular emphasis on the Horizon Europe programme. The session will begin with a brief overview of selected EU funding opportunities. It will then provide a detailed look at Horizon Europe, including its overall structure, eligibility criteria, and main types of actions. Participants will also receive a snapshot introduction to the Funding & Tenders (F&T) Portal and learn about effective “consortium mechanics,” such as where and how to find suitable partners. The webinar will conclude with practical hints and tips for writing competitive project proposals.
🗓 Date: 2 December 2025
🌐 Format: Online
🗣 Language: English
Guest-Trainer: Mr. Pierantonios Papazoglou, Research & Strategy Manager at the CERIDES Centre of Excellence in Risk and Decision Sciences of the European University Cyprus
The webinar is intended for a selected audience, and participation is limited to registered attendees.
Follow us on social media for more POTC news and content:
LinkedIn • X • Facebook • Bluesky
17. 11. 2025 | POTC, PR
The Peace Operations Training Centre (POTC) in Slovenia and the European Security and Defence College (ESDC) are co-organising the “Hostile Environment Awareness Training (HEAT)” training activity. The training will take place at the Gotenica Police Training Centre in Slovenia from Sunday, 8 March to Friday, 13 March 2026.
Kliknite tukaj za branje članka v slovenskem jeziku.
This training activity contributes to security and situational awareness, reinforces a safety and security awareness mindset, and develops confidence in hostile situations. In addition, the training provides guidance on individual and team behaviour to help deter, detect and react during and after threatening events, thus increasing the overall personal safety and security of the training participants while serving in hostile environments. This year’s HEAT will be conducted in a winter environment.
Up to 20 professionals with different backgrounds, working or aiming to work with national or international (non-)governmental organisations, academic or private sector, are eligible to apply for participation in the training.
The participants will join an experienced group of Slovenian and foreign trainers for a five-day intensive course in the southwestern part of Slovenia. The training is designed to:
- improve participants’ knowledge about multiple threats present in hostile field environments and learn how to deal with them in an effective manner,
- rehearse and practice safety and security procedures according to specific threats,
- develop skills and behaviours to deal with different stressful situations.
Activities of the Hostile Environment Awareness Training include e-learning prior to the in-person training, lectures, guided discussions, role-playing, simulations, and a complex field training exercise. Trainees will be addressing deployment in hostile environments (threat awareness, management of various threats, etc.), medical help, orientation, communications, mobility, etc.
Applications must be submitted via the ESDC’s secure online system, ENLIST, by designated nominators at https://esdc.europa.eu/enlist/login. To apply, a national nominator must first add you to the system, so please contact your nominator as the first step. A list of ENLIST nominators is available on the ESDC website at https://www.esdc.europa.eu/training-and-education/list-nominators_en.
The deadline for submitting the application is 15 January 2026. The selection of participants is done by POTC and ESDC after the deadline, and both selected and unselected applicants will be notified.
You can find all the information regarding the registration process and the training delivery here.
Follow us on social media for more POTC news and content:
LinkedIn • X • Facebook • Bluesky
10. 11. 2025 | POTC, PR
As the curtain closes on the Climate Security with a Training of Trainers (ToT) Module Training, organised by POTC in partnership with the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Addis Ababa, we reflect on Slovenia-Somalia Cooperation through a week of transformative learning, collaboration, and commitment to addressing one of the most pressing challenges of our time: the intersection of climate change and security.
Kliknite tukaj za branje članka v slovenskem jeziku.
A Week of Impactful Learning
12 Somali participants working in the field of climate change, environmental protection, agriculture, security and education were at the centre of this specialised training programme. The need-based training was developed in accordance with the needs of the Somali counterparts and took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The end result was a training programme delivered by 4 expert trainers coming from Slovenia, Sweden and Ethiopia. Topics covered included: 9 Planetary Boundaries, Climate Change and Security, regional Climate-Conflict Dynamics, Climate-Induced Displacement, Environmental Peacebuilding, Water Security and how to design a training from A to Z, to name a few.
Slovenia-Somalia Cooperation and Partnership
The training brought together stakeholders from different institutions and countries, namely Slovenia and Somalia, with a common goal: deepening understanding of the effects of climate change on peace and security. In addition, participants deepened their knowledge and skills as trainers through the additional ToT module.
The training was organised in close cooperation with the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Addis Ababa. H.E. Kristina Radej, the deputy and staff, made sure we had the necessary contacts and information from Ethiopia to deliver our first training here as smoothly as possible.
We would like to thank all the participants, the Government of Somalia, the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Addis Ababa, the excellent trainers and others who helped make this training a basis for future Slovenia-Somalia cooperation in the field of peace and security.
Follow us on social media for more POTC news and content:
LinkedIn • X • Facebook • Bluesky
7. 11. 2025 | POTC, PR
6. novembra 2025 smo organizirali seminar »Prebojne vojaške tehnologije in prakse«, posvečen vplivu nastajajočih in prebojnih tehnologij na strateške odločitve ter operativne zmogljivosti v kontekstu mednarodnega miru in varnosti.
Click here to read this article in English.
Seminarja, ki je bil organiziran v tesnem sodelovanju z Oddelkom za vojaško tehnologijo, raziskave in razvoj Ministrstva za obrambo, so se udeležili predstavniki Ministrstva za obrambo in Slovenske vojske, pri izvedbi pa je sodelovala tudi vrsta uglednih strokovnjakov s področja vojaških tehnologij, inovacij ter povezanih visokotehnoloških raziskav in industrije, ki sodelujejo pri projektih Ministrstva za obrambo Republike Slovenije.
V okviru seminarja so bile obravnavane ključne teme, med njimi:
- pomen nastajajočih in prebojnih tehnologij za prihodnje vojaške in varnostne zmogljivosti,
- pregled strateških dokumentov Republike Slovenije na področju obrambe in varnosti,
- predstavitev NATO pospeševalnika DIANA ter projektov Evropske obrambne agencije in Evropskega obrambnega sklada,
- povezovanje raziskovalnih projektov ARIS CRP z obrambnimi potrebami in mednarodnimi iniciativami.
Udeleženci so pridobili poglobljen vpogled v tehnološke trende, ki bodo v prihodnosti oblikovali nacionalno in zavezniško varnostno okolje. Seminar se je zaključil z živahno razpravo, v kateri so udeleženci izmenjali izkušnje, stališča in predloge za nadaljnje sodelovanje na področju raziskav, razvoja ter implementacije naprednih tehnologij v obrambnem sistemu Republike Slovenije.
Seminar je znova potrdil pomembnost sodelovanja med obrambnim sektorjem in raziskovalnimi ustanovami pri oblikovanju sodobnih zmogljivosti za zagotavljanje miru, varnosti in tehnološke suverenosti.
Za več informacij o usposabljanju in še več nas lahko spremljate na družbenih omrežjih:
LinkedIn • X • Facebook • Bluesky
