In February 2020, the European Centre of Excellence for Civilian Crisis Management was officially established. Since then, Founding Director Dr Volker Jacoby has led the Centre’s work and strategic direction to develop the CoE into the organisation that it is today.

Having worked in the field of civilian crisis management for over 20 years – including postings at the Centre for International Peace Operations (ZIF), OSCE, and UN – Volker has spent the past five years utilising his experience to drive forward the CoE’s efforts to support national capability development in the context of EU civilian crisis management.

As Volker nears the end of his directorship, we took the opportunity to learn more about what inspired him to become the CoE’s Founding Director, what he is most proud of, and what he will miss most. 

Five years ago, the CoE was established, and you became its very first Director. What was it that interested you in taking on the role?

The ability to directly shape the CoE's strategic vision was very appealing. Being at the helm of an organisation working to help the EU Member States through informal exchanges to build their capabilities when it comes to non-military aspects of conflict management is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I have been working in and on civilian crisis management since the late 1990s and learned firsthand that while military interventions may address immediate security concerns, it is civilian missions that tackle underlying issues that are critical for long term-term peace and stability. I wanted to lead a team and work collaboratively and unburdened by bureaucracy of the established players on helping to formulate appropriate civilian solutions to current challenges. I am a strong believer in the potential of the European Union as an important actor in this very field and wanted to play a role in making the Union and our neighbors safer without “securitising” our methods. It is an enormous privilege to build an organisation from scratch and I am grateful for this opportunity. 

Setting up the CoE and establishing it as an important actor in the field of civilian crisis management was no easy feat. Have you learned any valuable lessons during this time?

I have learned to appreciate how crucial it is to build relations, be flexible and adaptable. All the more so, as 27 EU Member States have anything but cohesive national governance systems in the field of civilian crisis management and the EEAS has grown and undergone multiple phases of organisational development. Still, the EU and its Member States are trying hard to pull the cart in the right direction. Working with multiple stakeholders to ensure that our efforts remain relevant and impactful in an ever-changing global security landscape requires adaptation and continuous learning, and I am grateful for having had a steep learning curve.

You have achieved a lot during your time as Director. What are you most proud of?

When looking at the portfolio of the CoE, it is very vast, but it's all focused on one aspect, which is the European Union’s civilian crisis management. Everything we are doing is very focused, and I am proud that we haven't gone astray and remained focused on our mandate. At the same time, we have proved to be a relevant actor in this entire concert. We started with 14 EU Member States and now we have 24. I think the very fact that my team and I have managed to position the CoE at the very heart of EU civilian crisis management is something my team and I can be very proud of. 

Sadly, February marks your final month as Director of the CoE. As you prepare to leave the role, what do you think you will miss most? 

I will miss professional connections and working with likeminded people. The complexity of the task, the necessity to come up with creative solutions to small and at times big challenges kept me on my toes. Seeing the potential of the CoE and knowing that each strategic decision I make and the many initiatives the CoE supported have a potential to contribute to peace and security is certainly something I will miss.