Cooperation in European military education
A number of naval students are in Romania part of the Erasmus+ exchange program
Agenția Media a Armatei, 08.10.2025, 14:00
The Erasmus+ program is funded by the European Union for education, training, youth and sport. It offers mobility and collaboration opportunities abroad for pupils, students and teaching staff. The “Mircea cel Bătrân” Naval Academy in Constanța continues the tradition of international collaborations in the field of education with partner higher education institutions from different countries. Thus, in the first semester of this academic year, alongside Romanian students, 39 students from partner universities in Austria, Bulgaria, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and, for the first time, Portugal, will study within this program.
David Guzdek is from Austria and chose Romania as his destination at the recommendation of friends and family. “It is an honor for me to participate in such a ceremony in a foreign country. We have similar things at home, in Austria. I had a few options when I had to choose my destination, but some friends and my uncle told me that it is very beautiful here, so I chose the Romanian Naval Academy. I just arrived here and I haven’t been able to see much yet, but I can’t wait to see Constanța. The academy in Austria looks more like a castle, and the campus is built around it, here everything is on site, which gives it a beautiful but different feel. I haven’t had any classes yet, but I think they are similar to what we have at home. I am happy, it is new for me, but we Austrians are always looking forward for new challenges and we will give our best,” says the Austrian student.
Polish Urszula Bobel is not in Romania for the first time, where she already has friends whom she will see again on this occasion. She considers it the best thing that could happen to her and the perfect place to be. “I am from the Naval Academy in Poland. Today was very emotional. This is my second time in Constanța, which is a very beautiful city. I was able to meet my old friends. I want to study, but also meet new people. Choosing the Naval Academy here is the best thing I could have done. I think it will be a great experience. We can improve our English, learn, meet new colleagues. It is the perfect place for me to be. I am in my fifth year, so I will complete my studies this year,” says the Polish student.
Year after year, foreign students join crews of Romanian cadets in the training march of the Mircea Training Ship. This year, Frenchman Achille Dupoux had an extraordinary experience aboard the sailboat: “I want to say that it was a unique experience for us, because we don’t have such a ship in our navy, so it might be the only opportunity in my life for such an experience. It was also unique because I could see the Black Sea, so I’m lucky to be here. Climbing the mast is exciting because you have a beautiful view from the top of the mast. I’m a little bit sick of heights, so I didn’t go all the way up, but even on the first level it was great. We all speak English, so it was easy to understand each other, we created special relationships between us, we had interesting exchanges of ideas. If I had to sum up this experience in three words, I would say that it was unique, amazing and challenging.”
The mutual exchange of experience, within these international programs, offers students the opportunity to discover new places, interact with different cultures, and even make friends that they can keep for life.
