15/05/2020 (Agence Europe) – The Council of the EU decided on Thursday 14 May to extend the mandates of four heads of civilian Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions. Kauko Aaltomaa will remain as head of the EUPOL COPPS mission in Palestine until 30 September 2020, as will Vincenzo Tagliaferri as head of the EUBAM Libya mission. Respectively, the heads of the EULEX Kosovo mission, Lars-Gunnar Wigemark, and of the EUAM Ukraine mission, Antti Hartikainen, will also remain in their posts until 30 June 2021. Furthermore, the decision published in the EU Official Journal on 15 May confirmed a budget of EUR 69,650 million for EUCAP Sahel Mali relating to the period from 1 March 2019 to 14 January 2021, due to the modification of its operations plan and the regionalisation of the CSDP action in the Sahel (see EUROPE 12199/33). (CG)