Brussels, 08/05/2001 (Agence Europe) - A "police conference" will gather this Thursday 10 May in Brussels to assess, for the first time, the police forces that the Member States are prepared to make available to the EU for its to assume its role in terms of crisis management. The aim defined during the Feira Summit is to mobilise 5,000 officers in 2003 for missions of crisis management and prevention, of which 1,000 officers being mobilised in less than one month.
The meeting, which must prepare, at the civilian level, an equivalent conference to the conference for the assessment of military capabilities, which took place on 20 November 2000 in Brussels, should specify: 1) the general nature of contributions; 2) the qualitative criteria for recruitment, as foreseen in the conclusions of the Feira Summit; 3) the operational synergies; 4) the administrative procedures that the EU should establish for planning and deploying civilian police operations.
The Member States are represented both by the chiefs of their national police forces or high ranking police commissioners, as well as by representatives from the Ministries for Justice, Home Affairs, Defence and Foreign Affairs. The Member States had a first exchange of views over the issue with the High Representative Javier Solana, during the Justice and Home Affairs Council.