Brussels, 17/02/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 17 February, French national Rodolphe Mauget was appointed head of the EU Police Mission for the Palestinian territories (EUPOL COPPS). The decision was taken by the Council's Political and Security Committee. Mauget has been acting head of mission since June 2014.
EUPOL COPPS sets out to contribute to the establishment of sustainable and effective policing arrangements, and to advise Palestinian counterparts on criminal justice and rule of law. It works to support the Palestinian civil police reform and development, strengthen the criminal justice system and improve interaction between prosecution and police.
The mission, which is headquartered in Ramallah, was set up in 2006 and comprises police advisers and legal experts from 19 EU member states, Canada, Norway and Turkey. There are 71 international envoys and 41 local staff who work for EUPOL COPPS and it has a budget of €9.8 million for the period from 1 July 2014 until 30 June 2015. (Camille-Cerise Gessant)