Norway is honored to hold the presidency of the Intelligence College in Europe (ICE) for 2025. This comes at a time when our collective security is being tested by increasingly complex and evolving threats.

A key priority for Norway is countering terrorism and violent extremism. Like many nations, we have experienced their devastating impact. These threats demand sustained attention, strategic foresight, and international collaboration.

As part of our presidency, we hosted the thematic seminar Tackling Terrorism and Extremism in Europe – Challenges, Strategies and Best Practices in Oslo on 1–2 October 2025.The event brought together 80 participants from 20 ICE member states, fostering dynamic discussions and cross-border learning.

The aim of the seminar was to raise awareness on trends, share academic insights, and strengthen policy development. We were proud to welcome speakers from Norway, the UK, Germany, France, Portugal, Sweden, Europol, and the EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator, reflecting the depth of our collective commitment to security and intelligence cooperation.

The seminar aimed to focus on emerging trends. Key topics included the shifting threat landscape in Europe, rising polarization, far-right extremism, the role of social media and emerging technologies like AI. Furthermore, the radicalization of minors was addressed.

Discussions emphasized the implications for intelligence and security services, highlighting actionable strategies to address the current problems. Cooperation among various sectors and services remains essential to succeed in preventing and countering violent extremism and terrorism. International cooperation is highly important.

This has truly been a collaborative effort, and we are very grateful to our ICE colleagues for all their support in making this a successful event.

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The Intelligence College in Europe (ICE / IntelCollege), a key actor within the intelligence community, was honoured to be invited to the 90th anniversary of the DNRED, the French National Directorate of Intelligence and Customs Investigations. On Tuesday, 16 September, the Director and Deputy Director of the College’s Permanent Secretariat—both of whom maintain close professional ties to the DNRED from their earlier careers—had the privilege of representing the College at this event.

One of the central themes of this dynamic morning was the fight against organised crime, a major issue at the European level. Beyond the already extensive bilateral cooperation, renewed efforts in minilateral and multilateral partnerships were highlighted as an essential necessity.

The Permanent Secretariat of the Intelligence College in Europe has been contributing to and supporting the activities of the Intelligence Chair at Sciences Po Aix for the past three years. During this time, it has shared with certificate and master’s students insights into the workings of European and EU intelligence, while also presenting the missions of the College in support of a strategic European intelligence culture.

This year, the Intelligence College in Europe was delighted to take part in the launch of the new academic year of the Sciences Po Aix Intelligence Chair!

A warm thank you goes to the new Director of Sciences Po Aix, Dr. Alissia Lefebure, to General Cholley, and to Dr. Walter Bruyère-Ostells of the Intelligence Chair, with whom fruitful discussions were held.

Since this year, the College is proud to count the very dynamic Sciences Po Aix Intelligence Chair as part of its European academic network, alongside 43 other universities and institutions (so far). Sciences Po Aix is one of the four French institutions in this European network. We hope that some of the excellent Sciences Po Aix students will take part in the College’s European competition, or that researchers will respond to the academic call for papers and join the 3rd Academic Conference, which will take place in June 2026 in Germany!

In 2024, Spain, holding the presidency of the Intelligence College in Europe (IntelCollege), addressed a key need raised by the College’s Steering Committee: ensuring that intelligence officers are equipped to understand European structures and to support EU security and intelligence agencies.

To meet this challenge, Spain’s National Intelligence Centre (CNI) launched a high-level postgraduate course in partnership with the University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM) and its renowned Luis Ortega Álvarez Center for European Studies. Delivered in a hybrid format—combining online sessions with in-person classes in Toledo—the programme offers participants an official certification aligned with the European Bologna Framework.

Following the success of the inaugural edition, Spain repeated the initiative in 2024. The second course concluded on Thursday, 11 September, with a certificate ceremony and keynote address by the Secretary General of the CNI, who personally underlined the importance Spain places on this initiative.

This programme stands as a model of cooperation between the intelligence community and academia, directly supporting one of IntelCollege’s core missions: preparing intelligence officers to work effectively together at the European level, whether in minilateral or multilateral formats.

As one of the College’s flagship training programmes, this demanding course fosters a shared knowledge base among participants, deepens their understanding of European institutions, and strengthens the personal and professional bonds that will underpin future cooperation across Europe’s intelligence community.

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For the third time in this format, the Academia Națională de Informații “Mihai Viteazul” (ANIMV) of Romania, in cooperation with the European Security and Defence College (ESDC), organised a one-week course on “Strategic Leadership in Security and Intelligence” in Bucharest. The course was open to participants from the Intelligence College in Europe (Intel College).

The Intel College was honoured to open the session on Monday, 22 September, and to contribute with several lecturers. Designed as an interactive and highly practical programme, the course targets high-potential young managers who are preparing to lead units or directorates in complex and high-pressure environments. Particular emphasis was placed on human resources management and interactive workshops, enabling participants from different countries to learn from one another’s experiences.

The Intelligence College in Europe is proud both to support and to benefit from this now well-established ANIMV–ESDC initiative. Since 2023, the course has increasingly reflected a strong European dimension, with lecturers drawn from across the continent, in the true spirit of ESDC and the Intel College.

Coming directly after the Toledo EU Expert Course, this event marked an excellent start to the new academic year of the Intelligence College in Europe, and it stands as a fine example of the fruitful cooperation between the College, the ESDC, and ANIMV in building a genuine European strategic culture.

Multumesc! Our sincere thanks go to our partners at SRI and ANIMV for making this valuable opportunity possible.

From 9 to 11 September 2025, the Joint Annual Conference of the International Association for Intelligence Education (IAFIE) Global and its European Chapter (IAFIE-EC) was hosted at King Juan Carlos University (URJC) in Madrid-Aranjuez.

As in Copenhagen (2023) and Malta (2024), the Intelligence College in Europe (IntelCollege) was once again actively present, drawing on its exceptional Academic Network to showcase the emerging common European intelligence culture. IntelCollege contributed to this renowned intelligence conference on three occasions:

• 9 September – IntelCollege facilitated the participation of the EU SATCEN Director, who delivered one of the opening keynote speeches, illustrating European cooperation in the fields of GEOINT and IMINT.
• 10 September – The IntelCollege Academic Network organised the first European Roundtable on the Future of Intelligence Training in Europe. Six senior representatives from five of its 14 Intelligence Education and Training Academies and Centres (Croatia, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Romania) presented their national perspectives, highlighting their engagement with academia and offering IAFIE members a unique insight into their activities.
• 11 September – The Academic Network hosted a spotlight session dedicated to a Lessons Learned exercise on the publication of the Common European Intelligence Culture special edition of the International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence (IJICI, Routledge).

These activities demonstrated the dynamic development of the IntelCollege Academic Network, which is now preparing to launch an Academic Award, establish working groups, publish new research, and host its own ambitious Academic Conference in Munich in 2026.

The Roundtable on intelligence training marked a true “first”: bringing together senior European managers of intelligence training facilities, who traditionally meet bilaterally. The event revealed a clear potential for more regular exchanges among intelligence schools. Members of the Academic Network began discussions on how training institutions facing similar challenges could share lessons learned, how a joint research agenda might foster a common European intelligence culture, and how academic insights could be further integrated into training curricula.

As in Copenhagen and Malta, IAFIE once again provided a unique forum where academics and practitioner-scholars from Europe, the Americas, and beyond could meet, exchange ideas, and foster dialogue in a constructive and collegial atmosphere.

IntelCollege warmly thanks IAFIE Chairwoman Dr. Kathy Pherson, IAFIE European Chapter President Dr. Irena Chiru, and Dr. Rubén Arcos (URJC) for organising such a well-structured and inspiring conference.

👉 For more information on the IntelCollege Academic Award and the Call for Papers, please click here

The Intelligence College in Europe has officially become an associate member of ACADEM (Académie de Défense de l’Ecole Militaire - Defence Academy of the Military School), formalised by a signing between Army Corps General Hervé de Courrèges, Director of IHEDN (Institut des Hautes Etudes de Défense Nationale), and Mr François Fischer, Director of the College.

This signing took place at the conclusion of a morning full of exchanges: following a roundtable on French Intelligence Studies with the participation of Messrs Philippe Baumard and Floran Vadillo, young doctoral candidates had the opportunity to present their work during a session chaired by Dr Clément Renault.

The Intelligence College in Europe (ICE), an active member of the Military School’s ecosystem, is thus honoured to formally join the ACADEM network. The College already maintains excellent working relationships with four very active members of ACADEM, in addition to ACADRE (Académie du Renseignement), IHEDN, IHEMI (Institut des Hautes Etudes du Ministère de l’Intérieur), and IRSEM (Institut de Recherche Stratégique de l’Ecole Militaire - IRSEM Paris and IRSEM Europe), and will continue its active involvement in PDSF 2026, as it did in 2024 and 2025.

We would like to extend our special thanks to General de Courrèges, Nicolas Bronard, the entire ACADEM team, as well as all the guests who contributed to a morning that was both rich and engaging!

Our thanks also go to Dr Philippe Baumard and Floran Vadillo for their active participation in the first roundtable, to Dr Sébastien-Yves Laurent who presented and signed his latest book, winner of ACADRE’s 2024 grand prize, and to the young researchers of the IRSEM roundtable chaired by Dr Clément Renault.

https://youtu.be/dU7Ai7DDL0g

The wish of our Slovak partner to join the Intelligence College as a full member materialized with the signing of the Letter of Intent (LOI) by Mr. Pavol Gašpar, Director General of the SIS (Slovak Information Service – Slovenské Informačni Služby), on Tuesday, May 27, at the premises of the Permanent Secretariat.

Mr. Pavol Gašpar was accompanied by his Deputy Director General and two of his managers. The Permanent Secretariat was represented by Mr. Arnaud Coupry, Deputy Director, and by two ICE Advisors.

The discussions allowed the Slovak delegation, in addition to expressing their satisfaction at becoming a member of the College, to convey their strong interest in actively participating in our activities, both by sending participants and contributing as speakers. Moreover, the Permanent Secretariat encouraged the SIS to identify and propose seminar or course topics. In this regard, it was noted that organizing events with several member states is a practical solution that helps facilitate logistical support.

Since 2022, 4 Partner States, Slovakia included, have asked to join as full Member States and one additional State (Moldova) has joined as ICE’s partner.

For your information, the Permanent Secretariat has published a communication on its official LinkedIn page. 

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7333146166173323264

From May 6th to 7th, 2025, Norway, holding the Presidency of the Intelligence College in Europe (ICE), hosted a remarkable and forward-looking Thematic Seminar on Security in the High North.

This high-level European initiative was inaugurated by the State Secretary of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, Mrs. Kristine Joy Nordenson Kallset, in the presence of numerous senior representatives from 14 ICE member and partner countries.

The event fully achieved the main objective of an Intelligence College Thematic Seminar: to seamlessly and effectively bring together senior intelligence experts, academics, and policy professionals in a productive brainstorming setting.

It also met the second aim of such an exercise: to broaden the thematic scope discussed within our extended community, this time expanding the Intelligence College regional focus and expertise on the High North, a region of growing strategic significance for European security.

This dense and impactful seminar, a true flagship event for the College in 2025, also showcased the benefits of a truly collaborative approach. Norway successfully brought together leading experts from Finland, Sweden, and the UK to enrich the strong Norwegian contribution. Through this joint and mixed-format approach, the seminar encouraged forward-thinking on emerging challenges and provided participants with a "3D perspective", moving well beyond the traditional "2D" frameworks that are still often applied.

Highly interactive, with an engaged audience, valuable networking opportunities, and top-tier roundtable discussions, the “Security in the High North” seminar helped our community better understand the evolving security dilemmas and renewed great power competition in a region long regarded as one of “low tension”. It also deepened our understanding of different layers of integration, whether regional, within alliances, or through new constellations.

This event once again demonstrated the value of this demanding but rewarding format, which allows us to challenge how we analyse emerging threats and how we shape future security policies.

From March 11 to 13, 2025, the Intelligence College in Europe (ICE) was honored to participate in the Paris Defence and Strategy Forum (PDSF)—a major international platform dedicated to European security and defense. Organized by the Académie de Défense de L’École Militaire (ACADEM), the PDSF serves as a hub for strategic discussions and cross-disciplinary debates on pressing geopolitical, security, and technological challenges.

Building on the success of its first modest participation last year, ICE played an active role in this year’s forum and contributed in three key ways:

1) As part of the exhibition space, ICE, with an ICE exhibition stand, engaged with a broad audience of professionals, policymakers, and academics, fostering dialogue on intelligence cooperation and European security.

2) Former high ranking German Intelligence Officer, former Head of the civilian EU Intelligence Fusion Center EU INTCEN, and current Intel. & Security advisor of the Munich Security Conference (MSC), Dr Gerhard Conrad has delivered one of the opening keynote speech.

While insisting on ICE’s commitment to foster European intelligence cooperation, he has explained why no stronger European Defence and Security could occur without a stronger European Intelligence cooperation and a better common culture. For that, He has insisted on the need to first use the existing structures such as the Single Intelligence Analysis Capacity (SIAC, regrouping the strategic civilian & military fusion centers) or the EU SATCEN (satellite Agency, headquartered in Torrejon, near Madrid), before thinking about creating new structures which risk to create more harm than good and will not be operational in due time, i.e. in the next 18een to 36 months.

3) ICE hosted a highly engaging roundtable on "Youth and Intelligence," in order to emphasise the vital role of young professionals in shaping the future of European intelligence cooperation. The discussion highlighted existing initiatives that aimed at fostering intelligence awareness and education among youth, such as:

• The two main Lithuanian processes, the "Intelligence Officer for a Week" competition for students sponsored by the ICE Secretariat and the "Back to School" program, authorizing young Intel. & Security professionals to explain their job in their alma mater,
• The many Italian educational & sensitization initiatives directed towards high school and middle school students,  
• The training programs set up in the College of Europe in order to reinforce the intelligence & security awareness and to explain the basics of the EU intel. & security set up to future EU administrators-studying in Bruges,
• The various university studies made in Europe.

The session was expertly moderated by Dr Cristina Ivan, Romanian ICE PoC, Professor at the national Intelligence Academic ANIMV and member of the International Association for Intelligence Education (IAFIE). Other Esteemed panelists where:

- Ruben Arcos, Professor at Rey Juan Carlos University, Madrid, and the College of Europe, Bruges; Spanish representative in IAFIE and, since the beginning of March, Head of the Intelligence Studies Section (ISS) of the International Studies Association (ISA). Also one of the active members, with Cristina Ivan, of ICE Academic Advisory Board,

- An Italian member of the national Intelligence Academy,

- The winners of the Lithuanian "Intelligence Officer for a Week" competition, a stiff competition existing since 5 years among the best, young, students of the Vilnius University.

Furthermore, Gerhard Conrad was invited to participate to the recorded interview of the “Café Stratégique”, in order to feed a podcast, on the EU Intelligence set-up that will be made largely accessible in the coming days.

Looking Ahead

The PDSF continues to grow as a key platform for European strategic thinking, and ICE is proud to contribute to these crucial discussions, through the mobilization of its Academic network. ICE will join, as an official partner, ACADEM in the next weeks, illustrating the interest to join forces at the European level to reach out the critical mass.

As we look forward to PDSF 2026, we remain committed to strengthening cooperation between our members, promoting European intelligence education and engaging the next generation. It will help enhancing a common, strategic, intelligence culture and a more natural partnership spirit in Europe, as Erasmus or EMILYO have helped to do.

 See you at PDSF 2026!

Take a look at some impressions from our presence at PDSF