On 13 March 2024, the European Security and Defence College (ESDC) hosted a delegation from the Italian Interagency Law Enforcement Academy of Advanced Studies (Department of Public Security) at the ESDC’s headquarter in Brussels.

The Academy is a full and active member of the ESDC and is the course director of one of the most important cyber courses on the ESDC’s ETEE platform, ‘The EU’s Cybersecurity Strategy for the new Decade’. It is also Europe’s first institute for senior police officers’ training. The Academy, which is attached to the Public Security Department of the Italian Ministry of the Interior, is the only training institute representing all national police forces, as well as the first example in Europe of an interagency academy. The Academy’s goal is to promote a culture of coordination, not only at operational level but also, and above all, at training level. During the visit, the delegation from the Academy, which also included also those participating in the XXXIX Advanced Training Course for Law Enforcement Personnel, were given a comprehensive presentation about the ESDC by its Acting Head, Mr Fergal O’Regan, the Coordinator for Cyber Issues, Mr Giuseppe Zuffanti, Strategic Adviser Mr Simone Coccia, and the Coordinator for EAB WGMOT, Mr Isak Enstrom. The CC Brig. Gen. Alessandro della Nebbia, Head of Studies, Research and Course Services at the Academy, then presented his institution, discussing possible paths for cooperation with the ESDC. The delegation became acquainted with, inter alia, the main activities of the ESDC, its role in the EU cyber ecosystem, its strategic orientations and its mission preparatory training courses. The visit also represented an excellent and timely opportunity for the delegation to learn about the role of the ESDC as the main EU-level resource mandated to provide training and education on the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) and the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), thereby both enhancing the EU’s common security and defence culture internally and acting as a diplomatic tool to further the interests and values of the EU outside its borders. Furthermore, the delegation had the chance to discover that what a true power multiplier the ESDC is, capable of enhancing the common strategic security culture within the EU, strengthening our common values and resilience, engaging externally with partners and acting as a significant and very powerful diplomatic tool for EU external action.