With less than a year left until the end of the EU Police Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana says it has made significant progress.
(UN News Centre, EU - 10/02/05; EUPM)

"As the [EU] Mission enters the last year of the mandate, it is well placed, in partnership with the local authorities, to complete its prime directive, which is to leave in place sustainable and effective policing arrangements in Bosnia and Herzegovina," the report said. [AFP]
 
The EU Police Mission (EUPM) in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has made solid progress towards the establishment of an international-quality force in the country, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said in a report to the UN Security Council, released Thursday (10 February). Covering the last six months of 2004, it is the fourth update on the activities of the Union's first operation of this type since its launch on 1 January 2003. 

The EUPM was established as a follow-on operation to the UN's International Police Task Force, with its main headquarters in Sarajevo. All current EU member nations, except Malta, and nine non-member states participate in the 862-strong force, including 61 international civilians and 329 BiH staff. Mandated with monitoring, mentoring and inspection activities, the mission's goal is to build up a police force capable of operating in line with international standards. The EUPM, whose mandate expires at the end of this year, operates on an annual budget of 38m euros. 

The mission has four strategic priorities: institution and capacity-building, fighting organised crime and corruption, helping the local police achieve financial viability and sustainability, and promoting police independence and accountability. 

"Measurable and telling progress has been made, notably in the strengthening of state-level law enforcement agencies and in relation to the furtherance of the principles of sustainability and local ownership," Solana said in his report. 

The EUPM fulfils its mandate by implementing specific programmes, developed in partnership with the local police and designed to meet its needs. The seven core programmes currently under way focus on key areas of expertise and method necessary to bring policing in the Balkan country into line with EU standards, while seeking to ensure that it is free from political interference. Two of the programmes are aimed at state-level institutions and the other five are thematic ones. 

For example, the goal of the Internal Affairs Programme is to put in place a reliable and transparent internal control system within all BiH law enforcement agencies in accordance with the best international practices. The aim of another ongoing initiative is to expand the powers of the State Investigation and Protection Agency, enabling it to more effectively fight major and organised crime, money laundering, drugs and arms trafficking. 

The EUPM has provided advice in the process of introducing new laws on surveillance of the State Border Service. Strong efforts have also been made to improve the effectiveness of the country's intelligence system and to ensure that it operates across all entities and police agencies. 

Another EUPM contribution Solana noted in his report was its full engagement in the ongoing efforts towards the creation of a single, state-level police structure in BiH, in line with High Representative Paddy Ashdown's directive following Republika Srpska's failure to arrest suspects sought by the UN war crimes tribunal. 

"As the Mission enters the last year of the mandate, it is well placed, in partnership with the local authorities, to complete its prime directive, which is to leave in place sustainable and effective policing arrangements in BiH," Solana concluded. 

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