On Wednesday 23 January, the EU Civilian Operations Commander and Director of the Civilian Planning and Conduct Capability (CPCC), Vincenzo Coppola, called on Member States to send more qualified personnel on EU civilian missions.
"The civilian CSDP compact is an important, strategic document, which requires the involvement of Member States, their commitment to a greater presence on missions and more sophisticated resources", he explained to the European Parliament Subcommittee on Security and Defence, hinting at qualified personnel (see EUROPE 12141).
"We have the resources, but they may not be the resources that I would like. We have 50% contract workers and 50% seconded workers - it's a little different on the missions - but we would prefer more seconded people", he explained.
Mr Coppola called for a stronger commitment to the quality of personnel sent on missions. "Human resources is not a question of quantity, but of quality. But can I ask Member States to second their best officials? It’s all well and good seconding people, but they keep the best people to cope with national problems. These are considerations that must be taken into account", he explained, adding that he would continue to urge Member States to do so. "A mission is managed by professionals with extensive CVs and preparation", he added.
Claus Redder Madsen, a member of the European Confederation of Police (EuroCOP), defended better preparation of police officers sent on missions. "Some Member States cannot provide appropriate training for deployment abroad. We are asking for specific training to ensure that police officers are not sent without adequate preparation and that they are aware of their rights and duties abroad", he explained.
According to the EEAS, the EU currently has 16 civilian and military missions around the world (10 civilian and 6 military), with more than 5,000 people deployed. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)