Brussels, 24/05/2005 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday, the European Commission announced that the European mission would be deployed in Afghanistan to observe the parliamentary and provincial elections of 18 September. The mission will be led by the Italian MEP (and former European Commissioner) Emma Bonino. A first small group of experts will arrive in Kabul in July, followed in August by the first observers, who will be deployed in the various provinces to follow preparations and the events of the electoral campaign. Additional observers will arrive just before the polling in September. Apart from the 4 million EUR needed to fund the observation mission, the EU will also contribute 8.5 million EUR to the organisational costs of the elections, and 3 million EUR to the institutional development of the Afghan parliament. All of this aid comes as part of a package of a billion EUR made available by the EU for the reconstruction of Afghanistan (over a period of five years).