Working together: universities and military academies

Erasmus+ is the EU's programme to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe. Its budget of EUR 14.7 billion aims to provide opportunities for over 4 million Europeans to study, train gain experience and volunteer abroad

The Cypriot Minister of Defence, Mr Christoforos Fokaides, noted that this initiative 'underscores our commitment to promoting education and continuous training in the armed forces through synergies with universities, as well as promoting a common European defence culture'. Mr Fokaides also announced the establishment of the Security, Defence and Crisis Management Academy. The Academy will participate in the academic network of the European Security and Defence College, offering both regular training programmes and specialised intensive training programmes in areas such as asymmetric threats and cyber defence.

The Head of ESDC, Mr Dirk Dubois, welcomed the signing of the Erasmus+ agreements. The representatives of the Open University of Cyprus, the University of Nicosia and the Theresan Military Academy expressed their satisfaction with the fruitful negotiation of the agreements and are looking forward to further enhancing their cooperation via exchanges of trainers, trainees and best practices.