Train the trainers programme successfully delivered its first edition

The European Centre for Democratic Resilience in cooperation with the Swedish Psychological Defence Agency launched in September the “Train the Trainers” capacity building programme – an intensive course aimed to upskill government officials across Member States and strengthen preparedness across all levels of government and society.

The first weeklong training took place from 7 till 11 September, marking a new step in strengthening Member States’ capacity to identify, mitigate and respond to foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) and strengthen information integrity. 

“Thanks to Sweden’s leadership, the Centre’s coordination, and the engagement from all participating Member States, we are turning cooperation into concrete action to strengthen Europe’s democratic resilience,” said Dana Spinant, Director General for Communication at the European Commission. “This is exactly the kind of joint effort the European Centre for Democratic Resilience was created to support and where we see concrete added value for the Member States.”  

Since its inception, the Centre has been working on a number of practical projects and activities under the guidance and leadership of Member States. The Train the Trainers programme swiftly delivered tangible results following the launch of the Centre earlier this year. 

Developed jointly with the Swedish Psychological Defence Agency, the programme is designed to scale up long-term resilience against FIMI across Member States by making Sweden’s national training approach available more widely.   

“Sweden has experience and is ready to contribute to the EU’s work in building psychological defence. Being part of international cooperation like this allows us to bring that experience to the table, and at the same time learn more from other Member States. Train the Trainers also highlights the importance of seconded staff, who provide practical experience of how Sweden can contribute internationally,” said Magnus Hjort, Director-General of the Swedish Psychological Defence Agency.

Over five days, participants deepened their understanding of influence operations, before taking part in an intensive course on pedagogical aspects of delivering trainings to different audiences. The course covered both countering FIMI and building psychological defence capacities. The curriculum included analysis of case studies, identifying threats and vulnerabilities, and developing a more precise understanding of how to assess suspicious information activities in context, including with the support of local expertise and structured exchange within national networks. The pedagogical component of the counter-FIMI training included teaching methodologies and the preparation of individual teaching modules. 

The training is specifically intended to help participants teach relevant national expert groups and adapt the material to local institutional, linguistic, and societal contexts, so that the learning can be applied more effectively on the ground. Following the training, participants are expected to return to their capitals and independently lead training activities on detecting and responding to FIMI, while passing on the methods and knowledge acquired to a wider circle of national practitioners.  

A second edition of the training will take place in November 2026. An alumni network has been established to provide feedback and support future editions of the programme as well as develop advanced courses suited to the needs of Member State experts and trainers.