EUTI Secretariat at EAB Meeting in Brussels

EUTI Secretariat at EAB Meeting in Brussels

13. 2. 2026 | EUTI, PR

BRUSSELS – Nina Čepon and Urban Jakša are wrapping up their work visit to Brussels, where they represented the EUTI consortium at the Executive Academic Board (EAB) meeting that took place on 11 and 12 January 2026.

During the sessions, Nina and Urban collaborated with partners to update the HEAT (Hostile Environment Awareness Training) curriculum to include new modules that reflect the evolving realities of CSDP missions, such as threats from drones and doxing. They also gave an overview of the past and future EUTI plans to the participants of the meeting, ensuring continued alignment with European training standards.

One of the outcomes of EAB was the confirmation of several pilot trainings, including Environmental Management and AI Leadership. The ESDC network also expanded during this session with the inclusion of three new members, such as Democritus University.

In Working Groups 1 and 2, the focus remained on refining training for Project Management and mission orientation. Furthermore, new trainings to be carried out under the auspices of the ESDC were introduced, focusing heavily on psychological support and medical care in the field.

One of the highlights of the visit was a meeting at DG DEFIS (Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space). This session highlighted the growing intersection of space, the defense industry, and evolving training needs—ranging from specialized space programs like Copernicus and Galileo to vital administrative, HR, and procurement skills.

Furthermore, while in Brussels, the Urban held a meeting with representatives of the European Commission responsible for monitoring the EUTI project. He presented key milestones and innovations, highlighting how EUTI’s nature as a smaller consortium allows for agile testing of new tools and approaches. The goal remains ensuring the sustainability of these practices by successfully transferring knowledge and expertise to the ESDC.

 

A bit more on EAB: The Executive Academic Board (EAB) is a central body of the European Security and Defence College (ESDC). Its role is to ensure the quality and consistency of training activities provided under the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy. More information on their work is available here.

 

 

EU Training Initiative (EUTI) Officially Launched in Brussels

EU Training Initiative (EUTI) Officially Launched in Brussels

11. 9. 2025 | EUTI, PR

On 8–9 September 2025, the EU Training Initiative (EUTI) was officially launched at the Permanent Representation of Slovenia to the EU in Brussels. The two-day kick-off and partner meeting was led by the EUTI Secretariat, together with the EUTI Consortium, comprising 15 civilian, police, and gendarmerie organisations throughout the EU. The event brought together representatives from the European Commission, the European External Action Service (EEAS), the European Security and Defence College (ESDC), and Civilian Operations HQ (CivOpsHQ) to discuss the initiative’s objectives, main activities, and next steps.

The EUTI initiative aims to strengthen the European Union’s capacity to respond to global challenges by providing specialised, demand-driven, and tailor-made training to civilian, police, and gendarmerie experts already deployed or soon to be deployed to international crisis management and peace support missions. It focuses on three main pillars: addressing training needs, advising on training harmonisation, standardisation and certification, and introducing innovative training methodologies and strategies to meet emerging challenges.

During the partner meeting, participants reviewed the EUTI Manual and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), ensuring alignment with EU priorities, Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) training policies and operational requirements. Working groups explored strategies for implementing training modules, fostering cooperation among EU institutions, and enhancing knowledge exchange across member states, their training and academic institutions, and seconding agencies. The Consortium partners charted the EUTI Training Catalogue, a living and non-exhaustive document listing all the training capacities and capabilities of project partners, building on their more than a decade-long experience in providing training in the civilian crisis management context.

EUTI Kickoff and high-level panel discussion

A highlight of the event was a high-level panel discussion featuring representatives from the European Commission, EEAS, ESDC, and the CivOpsHQ. Panellists emphasised the value of coordinated training efforts and innovative approaches to civilian crisis management training.

“Training must be innovative, collaborative and adaptable — because the needs of missions are changing faster than ever.”

The event also featured informal networking sessions, allowing participants to strengthen partnerships and exchange experiences, laying the groundwork for the next steps of EUTI’s implementation.

Through EUTI, the EU is enhancing professional development, promoting best practices, and building sustainable capacities for its crisis management and peace support missions.