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Service for Foreign Policy Instruments
3 July 2014

The European Union Police Mission in Afghanistan

The FPI oversees the implementation and financial management of the European Union Police Mission in Afghanistan (EUPOL Afghanistan). It is the second largest civilian mission under the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), comprising 290 international staff, mainly consisting of police officers and rule of law experts, and 200 local staff.

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The aim of the mission, launched in the summer of 2007, is to contribute to the establishment of a sustainable and effective civilian police, which works together with the Afghan justice system to improve the local population's safety. More particularly, the mission monitors, mentors, advises and trains at the level of senior management of the Afghan Ministry of Interior, Afghan Ministry of Justice, Afghan Attorney General's Office, in Kabul and in several regions. By working in this way, EUPOL Afghanistan ensures that the needs, abilities and skills of local authorities guide the reform process.

By doing this, the Mission supports the Afghan government's overall reform process, which will lead towards a trusted and efficient police service that works in accordance with international standards, within the framework of the rule of law and respect for human rights.

On 23 June 2014, the Council of the EU agreed in principle to an extension of the Mission until the end of 2016. The aim of this extension is to gradually hand over a certain number of tasks, notably training, to the local authorities. This will ensure that the Afghans themselves will be able, over the long-term, to fulfil these tasks.

Facts & figures

Since 1 August 2012, EUPOL has been led by Police Commissioner Karl Åke Roghe.

The mission currently has an authorised maximum strength of 400 international staff and 220 local staff.

The annual budget for 2013/2014 is EUR 68 million.