The Course
The Pirate Academy ran in Autumn of 2025, with four online classes (two theoretical, two scenarios) and one in-person intensive trialogue simulation in European Parliament. We collected feedback in the end of the course with very positive results.
Some quotes from the participants wider feedback (anonymised)
I really enjoyed the whole experience. I liked that we had deep dives into topics and space for discussions.
I am sincerely grateful for this experience and for the chance to meet smart and accomplished people who have interesting careers. It was truly a once‑in‑a‑lifetime opportunity.
This in‑person experience/simulation has been very enriching, I really enjoyed the case and the working dynamics. Both first and second day were incredible.
I learned so much regarding the trilogue, the EU, and negotiations among others. It has been a great experience that I will never forget, and I wish that the future members of the academy will be enjoying this as much as I did.
We have also learned a lot on formulating the scenarios and handling the organisational/ logistical issues. We will be polishing the scenarios for another run of Pirate Academy.
The next run of Pirate Academy will run in Spring of 2026.
Tools & Format
Platform: Jitsi + collaborative docs
Materials provided 3 days before each session
Instructors: Paul Diegel, David František Wagner & guests (e.g. former assistants, MEPs, journalists)
Session 1: Institutions, procedures and power
Date: 17.3. 2026
Objective: Understanding the structure and logic of the European institutions, getting the idea of what is actually possible, limits of MEP/ COM/ Council power and so on. Basis for other sessions to build on.
Topics to be covered
– legislative procedures, trialogues, rapporteurship, groups and shadows
– showing limits of negotiations on specific examples
– timelines “how things get done”
The students will be tasked with assignments for the next class.
Session 2: Scenario play
Date: 31.3. 2026
Objective: understanding the “hard power” tools Europe employes, how it uses them, exploring the “Brussels effect” and it’s real limitations, comparing EU with other superpowers
Topics to be covered
– trade agreements, exports
– export controls
– budgetting
The students will be tasked with assignments for the next class.
Session 3: EU as security actor
Date: 14.4. 2026
Objective: Understanding the considerations and challenges of contemporary European security.
Topics to be covered
– energy transition: and China dominance in renewables
– fossil fuels, their prices, international market and relationships with the biggest suppliers
– energy grid as critical target of cyber-warfare and sabotage
– hostile actors, kinetic and cyber warfare
– corporate capture vs informed policymaking
The students will be tasked with assignments for the next class.
Session 4: Scenario play: security crisis
Date: 28.4. 2026
Objective: Participants are given simple roles representing various stakeholders in the process of European decision making and try to react to different threats in a reactive scenario run by the team. After the scenario, they will go through an extended de-brief.
The exact scenario will not be known by the participants beforehand.
Session 5: Scenario play – secret scenario
Date: 12.5. 2026
Objective: The last online meeting of the course will be an expansive online scenario in which participants will need to both prove their skills, knowledge and coordination. The scenario is the last online meeting of the Academy, after which 15 participants will be selected for the in-person meeting in Brussels.
Session 6: In-person meeting in Brussels
Date: 18.-19.6. 2026
Objective:The in-person meeting will combine elements of scenario play, Parliament visit in Brussels and meetings with policy practitioners. The transport, lodging and food is provided for.