On a mission to countries at risk: Italy will train European Union officials. The Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna in Pisa is part of the Consortium led by the Carabinieri commissioned by the EU to organize the Heat. The kick-off will be on Monday 17 May
Italy, with its experts and its training centers in Bolzano, Gorizia and Pisa, is the seat selected by the European Union to prepare the officials who, having to go to the so-called ‘critical or high-risk areas’, may find themselves in hostile situations for their personal safety. The choice of Italy as the only training venue for all EU officials comes following a European tender that was won by the Consortium led by the Arma dei Carabinieri together with the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna of Pisa and the Observatory on Security and CBRNe Defense - OSDIFE. At the end of the international selection, the Consortium was appointed by the EU as the main executor of the Multiple Framework Contract for the realization of 60 Hostile Environment Awareness Training (HEAT) courses over the next four years. The courses will cover topics related to terrorism, violent crimes, kidnapping or hostage-taking by terrorists or criminal groups, civil unrest / political violence and armed conflicts. At the end of each course, which include a substantial practical part through realistic simulations in high-risk environments, participants will have obtained basic training on how to effectively deal with security incidents, emergencies or critical situations.
The first Heat course will start on Monday 17 May in Bolzano; on 4 and 5 July a new training will follow in the province of Pisa. The contact person for the project for the Sant'Anna School is Andrea de Guttry, full professor of International Law at the Dirpolis Institute (Law, Politics, Development): "Once again – Prof. de Guttry comments - it is shown that, putting together the Italian excellence, we are able to make competitive proposals capable of winning EU tenders. Our project was rated the best, with a large margin of advantage over the second and OVER the other 15, that were all highly competitive. The HEAT courses will give great visibility to the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna and the Carabinieri, as training bodies with important skills and resources of the highest level in this particularly sensitive and delicate field. “For the School - adds de Guttry - it is a great result because it is linked to our research and training activity in the field of the Third Mission”.
From now and for the next four years, the Italian Consortium will organize 60 training courses on personal safety reserved for personnel from various European institutions who must travel to critical or high-risk areas: European External Action Service (EEAS), European Asylum Support Office (EASO), European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX), European Commission (EC), European Committee of the Regions (CoR), European Court of Auditors (ECA), European Parliament (EP), European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (EUROPOL), European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
Cover photo: Andrea de Guttry.
