The Ministry of Defence and the European Security and Defence College have outlined areas of partnership

Representatives of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine and the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine held their first coordination meeting with the leadership of the European Security and Defence College (ESDC). The College's educational network was recently joined by nine Ukrainian higher military education institutions. 

The event took place at the National Defence University of Ukraine, one of the nine new ESDC participants. 

Representatives from all newly joined institutions attended the meeting. The Acting Head of the ESDC, Fergal O’Regan, joined the discussion online and congratulated the Ukrainian partners on joining the ESDC community. 

“This is a strong signal of support from the European Union, as all member states unanimously agreed to grant Ukraine access to all educational courses. We also aim to establish a physical ESDC presence in Ukraine to further strengthen our cooperation and expand opportunities for joint projects,” emphasized Fergal O’Regan.

ESDC representative Alberto Bragadin, in turn, noted that the European Security and Defence College currently includes 270 participants and associated partners and offers approximately 70 courses under joint educational programs. 

“We are open to fruitful cooperation and committed to adapting existing educational courses and developing new ones to meet Ukraine’s needs,” he said. 

Volodymyr Mirnenko, Head of the Department of Military Education and Science at the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, highlighted the strategic importance of this partnership for Ukraine in his speech.

“Cooperation with the European Security and Defence College will support the development of our educational institutions and improve the quality of military education in Ukraine in accordance with modern European standards,” he emphasized. 

The European Security and Defence College (ESDC), established in 2005, delivers strategic-level education within the framework of the EU Common Security and Defence Policy. It operates as an autonomous EU body, uniting civilian and military educational institutions, academies, universities, and other organizations involved in shaping European security policy.