About fifty European police officers and experts deployed in Ukraine, on the Western border
(B2 — exclusive) It has been a long time since the European Union deployed a team of police and experts to a country at war. And yet that's what should be decided soon. A way for the Europeans to demonstrate very concretely their support for the Ukrainians.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, the European Union had decided to repatriate its teams from the EU Advisory Mission (EUAM) deployed in Mariupol, Kharkiv or Kiev (under the Common Security and Defense Policy ) to Moldova or Poland. A security measure taken in the face of the acceleration of the Russian military offensive (but prepared in advance, since January according to our information).
An urgent decision
Decision was taken, on the proposal of the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell (on the proposal of his civil missions staff), to use these experts who know Ukraine well, have been tied for years (the mission was deployed in 2014) excellent links with the Ukrainian authorities — from the local police authorities (in the oblasts) in charge of the traffic police or the judicial police to the special forces or intelligence (the famous SBU) (1).
About fifty experts in 11 border points Ukrainian side
About fifty European experts could thus be deployed, on the Ukrainian side (2), to advise and help the Ukrainian security forces. This responds to a request from the Kyiv government to have European aid at their borders to 1. ensure the most effective management possible of the flows of refugees heading west. 2. allow the transport of humanitarian aid from the Union to Ukraine.
Based by night in the European Union, by day in Ukraine
In concrete terms, according to exclusive information collected by B2, EUAM Ukraine's European experts will be based at night on the European side (for security reasons) and will come during the day to lend a hand to their Ukrainian colleagues, in Ukraine, at the borders Poland and Romania, the two main crossing points for refugees to the West (3). Eleven border points are concerned.
Frontex or national colleagues on the other side
Important clarification: they are civilians (specialists in the judicial police, witness protection, European interior ministries, police officers). They are normally unarmed.
They will thus liaise with their European colleagues on the other side of the border (national border guards or reinforcements from Frontex who will also be mobilised).
Details here
All the details of the decision taken by the Europeans are here: EUAM Ukraine is redeploying on the borders with the European Union. Objective: to facilitate the transit of refugees (for B2 subscribers)
(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde in Versailles & Aurélie Pugnet on the Moldavian-Ukrainian border)
- Internal security forces, engaged (alongside Ukrainian soldiers and civilians) to defend their territory, which suffered certain losses (according to the first elements).
- CSDP missions are missions which are an integral part of the EU's external policy. They cannot be deployed on the territory of the European Union. A provision that is in the Treaty.
- Slovakia could be concerned later. But not Hungary.
