EEAS Secretary General Helga Schmid met with the Heads of the ten civilian CSDP Missions and their Civilian Operations Commander Vincenzo Coppola on 24 October. The meeting was part of the Annual Meeting of the civilian Heads of Missions at EEAS headquarters.
The Secretary General stressed the utility of the civilian Missions as part of EU external policy, underlining the growing importance of security for European citizens and the essential contribution that the civilian Missions make in this regard by supporting partner countries in strengthening of their security sector reform and the rule of law.
In a tour d’horizon discussion participants exchanged views on the ongoing developments in the regions where the civilian Missions are deployed – Eastern Europe, Western Balkans, Africa and the Middle East.
The ten civilian Missions currently employ approximately 2,000 staff. The EU launched its first ever civilian CSDP mission 15 years ago with the EU Police Mission in Bosnia-Hercegovina. Since then 22 civilian CSDP Missions have been deployed by the European Union.
