Commonly referred to as a 'military Erasmus', although the European Commission does not really want to see the name of its well-known student exchange programme hackneyed in this way, this initiative has a dual aim: "to give young European officers the possibility to complete part of their initial training in another member state" and "to strengthen the interoperability of forces and the capacity of European armies to work together". The idea is also, explained French Defence Minister Hervé Morin, to promote a "European awareness, so that alongside the citizenship proper to each member state, there exists a European citizenship, so that we can forge a European defence culture and, through common training, improve the interoperability of the armed forces intervening in the same theatre of operations".

Some military academies have already set up bilateral and sometimes multilateral exchange programmes, even going as far as awarding joint degrees. These exchanges are sometimes matched with the academies' membership of the Erasmus programme. The number of military students involved is limited, however, owing to the considerable divergences that still exist between member states' practices and implementing difficulties.

The initiative will include three components:

1. Creation of a common training platform. A computerised platform containing the initial officer training programmes should be created to allow national training institutions to offer and request places for officer exchanges. This database would be administered by the Secretariat of the European Security and Defence College (ESDC), with data input from the member states/institutions.

2. Promotion of exchanges of students and teaching staffof military schools and academies, for the cross-qualification of member states' officers. The aim is to identify solutions to administrative, legal and other obstacles to such exchanges, to work out incentive mechanisms, to build up exchanges and to develop an equivalence system for the military component of initial officer training.

3. Development of common training modules. A training module on the European Security and Defence Policy is being prepared. Training modules should also be provided in other areas related to international security. Teaching of European Union languages will also be developed, in particular the teaching of a second foreign language.

Some 15 states made more or less precise offers at the informal meeting of defence ministers in Deauville, in early October. The Czech Republic proposed the inclusion of its defence summer university in Brno as part of the Erasmus scheme. Slovakia proposed the participation of its military academy and Hungary proposed its national defence university. Malta is prepared to open up its search and rescue training module to Europeans. Greece requested the creation of common modules in language teaching. Ten other countries (Germany, Austria, Portugal, Luxembourg, Ireland, Cyprus, Slovenia, Poland, Romania and Bulgaria) announced their participation in one way or another, according to the French EU Presidency. There is one glaring absence, however: the United Kingdom.

A statement of intent will be signed at the Council of Ministers, on 10 November. The initiative is expected to take off in 2009 with two specific measures: the publication of a common training module on European defence and the launch of consultations between military academies and schools for the establishment of qualification equivalencies for European military staff.

This initiative primarily covers initial training. The European Defence College is competent for exchanges and training, even if its functioning is still considered imperfect and is being discussed with a view to a revamp.