04/12/2012 (Agence Europe) - New head of EULEX mission in Kosovo. On Tuesday 4 December, Bernd Borchardt was appointed head of the EU “rule of law” mission in Kosovo (EULEX Kosovo). This appointment was decided by the EU Political and Security Committee (Cops). The German diplomat is aged 57 and will begin his new job on 1 February 2013. He takes over from Xavier Bout de Marnhac, who has been in this post since 15 October 2010. The central task of the EULEX Kosovo mission, launched in 2008, is to help and support the Kosovan authorities in rule of law related fields and focus on the legal system, explained the Commission in a press release. It added that mission staff will mainly consist of police officers, judges, prosecutors and customs officials. (CG/trans/l.l)