European Defence

In the Western Balkans:
In the Near and Middle East:
In Afghanistan:
In Africa:

They are 13 FSDP operations (civilian or military) currently under way.

In Bosnia-Herzegovina, where the European Union has been playing a key stabilizing role since the Dayton Accords were signed in 1995, two operations are under way:

  a military operation, EUFOR Althea, launched on 2 December 2004, with approximately 2,500 men. This operation contributes to the stability and security of Bosnia, mandated by the United Nations Security Council.

  a police mission (EUPM), which, through monitoring, supervisory and inspection actions, aims to create a professional and multiethnic police force managed by Bosnia-Herzegovina. It has approximately 300 agents, 174 of whom are international.

In Kosovo, EULEX Kosovo is the biggest civilian mission in the history of the FSDP. Launched in 2008, its main objective is to assist and support the Kosovo government in issues of rule of law, specifically: police, justice and customs. This mission is not in Kosovo to govern. It is a technical mission that is tasked primarily with monitoring and advising and will have only a limited number of executive powers.

There are 330 agents deployed currently, and in the long run there should be 1,900 international agents and 1,100 local agents in the field.

The assistance mission at the Moldavia-Ukraine border: this is tasked primarily with assisting the competent authorities of these two countries to improve their management of this border (advice, training).

In Georgia: the civilian European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) has more than 200 agents deployed as of 1 October, from 22 different European countries. This operation is in place following the agreement of 8 September and is tasked primarily with stabilization, normalization and establishing confidence-building measures.

In the Palestinian Territories, the EU police mission (EUPOL COPPS) aims to help the Palestinian Authority to improve its capabilities in terms civilian police and implementing the law. In the current context, the EU Border Assistance Mission in Rafah (EUBAM RAFAH) remains in the region with an operational capacity for rapid deployment.

In Iraq, EUJUST LEX (about 30 European agents) aims to meet the most urgent needs of the Iraqi criminal justice system.

The EU police mission supports the reform process intended to create a reliable police department, which operates within the bounds of the rule of law and respects human rights. The mission monitors, supervises and advises at the level of Afghanistan’s ministry of the interior, central government, regions and provinces. It has 274 agents, including 184 international agents.

In the DRC, the EU police mission has 39 international agents and is part of a long-term plan.

In the area of the fight against sea piracy, the Council decided on 15 September to launch a European Union military coordination action (EU NAVCO) to support surveillance and protection actions led by certain Member States in Somalia and off the Somali coast. At the same time, work is continuing at the Council to launch an EU naval military operation. To this end, the Council has approved a strategic military operation and has requested its authorities to ensure that the planning work under way proceeds rapidly.

EUFOR Chad/CAR: this is Europe’s biggest and most diversified military operation in terms of its composition: 3,300 soldiers from 14 countries are deployed in the field, 18 are present in the theatre of operations and 22 are at the headquarters based in Mont Valérien. The objectives of this operation are to:

  help protect civilians in danger (particularly displaced persons and refugees);

  facilitate the dispatch of humanitarian aid and the travel of humanitarian personnel;

  help protect UN staff and facilities.

  the EU mission tasked with supporting reform in the security sector in Guinea-Bissau (EU SSR Guinea-Bissau).