Greater role for EU paramilitary police – “Robust policing” with “military means” !

The European External ActionService (EEAS) is seeking“strengthened cooperation”with the European Gendarmerie Force (EGF) also known as Eurogendfor, a paramilitary policing organisation made up of forces from seven EU countries

by People’s News

contributed by the authors

The European External ActionService (EEAS) is seeking“strengthened cooperation”with the European Gendarmerie Force (EGF) also known as Eurogendfor, a paramilitary policing organisation made up of forces from seven EU countries, in the hope that it can play a bigger role in the EU’s “crisis management” missions abroad and plug the gap left by a lack of commitments from individual Member States.

The EU has so far this year launched two “crisis management” missions in Africa – the first a military mission in the Central African Republic and the second a civilian mission in Mali. The European Gendarmerie Force, (EGF) made up of gendarmerie units from France, Italy, Portugal, theNetherlands, Romania and Spain, is involved in both.

In the Central African Republic, the EU is providing “a gendarmerie-type Integrated Police Unit, in order to reinforce the rule of law, to maintain public order, and to fight against unpleasant consequences.” Less is known about its role in Mali. The Mali mission is intended to “support the internal security forces” and ensure “the full restoration of state authority throughout the country”.

According to Statewatch, an EGF presentation states that it assisted the EEAS with “strategic and operational planning” for the Malimission. According to the presentation, its support “demonstrated that the police expertise held by the EGF can be mobilised quickly in favour of the European Union.”

The EEAS’ has attempted to obtain more information from Member States on national police units available for “robust” missions abroad. A more recent “explanatory brief” produced by the EEAS’   Crisis Management and Planning Directorate,  contained in the EEAS document, notes that a “potential strengthening of EU links with EGF  has long been considered,” and outlines plans for “strengthened cooperation between the EEAS and EGF, and to secure faster participation of EGF in CSDP [Common Security and Defence Policy] related activities.”

Calls for closer links go back at least as far as June 2008, when the so-called ‘Future Group’ said:

“Future reflections should also include the integration of the ‘European Gendarmerie Force’ and civilian police units from Member States into the legal framework of the European Union. Common education and training of those forces would be appropriate.”

The legal basis for cooperation between theEU and EGF is found at Article 42 (3) of the Lisbon Treaty: “Those Member States which together establish multinational forces may also make them available to the common security and defence policy”. More practical arrangements are laid down in a “Framework paper for EGF’s participation in CSDP Crisis Management Operations”, which is currently secret.

The EEAS document recounts a meeting held in March this year of the Council of theEU’s Political and Security Committee (PSC), made up of MemberStates’ representatives – including Shatter – and responsible for “the definition of and follow-up to the EU’s response to a crisis”. Member States’ delegations stated that cooperation with the EGF “should continue on a case-by-case basis,” although they did request that work continue on:

“Establishing a formal framework to govern such cooperation, covering financing, recruitment, the involvement of Member States, and cooperation with non-EU countries that are observers to EGF.”

The EGF presentation notes that the organisation’s objectives are “three-fold”:

*   To provide Europe with a police asset capable of undertaking various police functions and tasks required in the context of international crisismanagement operations;

*   To provide European Member States intent on joining EU missions with a multinational operational platform to that effect; and

*  To contribute to the various crisis management initiatives of international organisations.

The presentation notes the extra benefits of having available a gendarmerie force-it is  able “to provide more robust policing (including with military means) when the threat scale is approaching the grey area before a military response.”

What the Gardai might think of engaging in “robust policing” with “military means” is open to conjecture at the moment but would be confirmed should this or any future government decide that Ireland participate in one of these missions.

Presumably the personnel involved would have to undergo training in paramilitary activities but the longer – term implications might involve the establishment of a gendarmerie force on the “European” model to facilitate a more structured involvement in such missions. If this were to occur, we would no longer have an unarmed police force. As usual, the wheels of the EU move slowly but inexorably!

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