The European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo has strengthened its capacity to contribute to the overall security situation in Kosovo ahead of the upcoming municipal elections, through the deployment of members of the European Gendarmerie Force (EUROGENDFOR), who constitute the EULEX Reserve Specialist Police Unit.
Today, the EULEX Head of Mission, Giovanni Pietro Barbano, led the official ceremony, attended by the Ambassadors of the EUROGENDFOR contributing states, to welcome the highly specialized and skilled EUROGENDFOR police officers, provided by the five participating forces: the French National Gendarmerie, the Italian Carabinieri, the Royal Dutch Gendarmerie, the Polish Military Gendarmerie and the Portuguese National Republican Guard.
The EULEX Specialised Police Unit (SPU) will double the operational capacity of the EULEX Specialised Police Unit (SPU), which is fully provided by the Polish Police, to fulfil the Mission's mandate to contribute to the security of all communities, including acting as a second security responder in Kosovo, if required and necessary.
During their deployment, the PSRU will conduct visible patrols, increasing the Mission's situational awareness and ensuring full interoperability with the PSRU, as well as with the Kosovo Police and the NATO-led KFOR mission.
Welcoming the JPSR, Barbano stressed: “As a Reserve Specialized Police Unit, you embody EULEX’s ability to be reinforced at any time and in any place. Your strength lies in your mobility and readiness to deploy at short notice. You are the Mission’s force that can adapt to changing circumstances, react quickly to incidents, supporting the JPSR within the three-tier security mechanism in Kosovo, ensuring that public order is maintained: your presence shows that EULEX is equipped not only to monitor and advise, but also to act, decisively and effectively, when circumstances require it.”
"I am proud to announce today your full operational capacity," Barbano concluded.
This is the sixth deployment of the EULEX JPSR Unit since March 2022.
EULEX is the largest civilian Mission ever deployed under the European Union's Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). Its overall mission is to support selected rule of law institutions in Kosovo on their path towards increased effectiveness, sustainability, multi-ethnicity and accountability, free from political interference and in full compliance with international human rights standards and European best practices, through monitoring, mentoring and advisory activities.
EULEX is the second security responder in Kosovo within the three-tier security mechanism, with the Kosovo Police being the first responder, EULEX the second, and the NATO-led KFOR mission the third.
The European Gendarmerie Force, also known by the acronym EUROGENDFOR, is a European rapid reaction force composed of elements of several European gendarmerie forces. It currently consists of eleven countries: seven member states – France, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Poland and Romania – one partner, Lithuania, and three observers: Turkey, Moldova and Ukraine. EUROGENDFOR is responsible for carrying out police tasks in the framework of crisis management operations.
