EULEX becomes fully operational
07/04/2009
EULEX chief Yves de Kermabon declared on Monday the mission is fully operational, and will continue to train Kosovo's police.
By Besa Beqiri for Southeast European Times in Pristina -- 07/04/09
 EULEX chief Yves de Kermabon (right) speaks at the inauguration ceremony on Monday (April 6th). [Laura Hasani] |
The EU Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo, EULEX, declared full operational capability and inaugurated its headquarters in Pristina on Monday (April 6th). Present at the ceremony were EU member-states' representatives, Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu and Prime Minister Hashim Thaci.
EU security chief Javier Solana welcomed the achievement in a statement from Brussels, saying EULEX "will do its utmost to make the rule of law institutions work better and faster for the benefit of all the people in Kosovo".
EULEX -- the largest civilian mission ever launched by the EU -- "is proof of EU's strong commitment towards the Western Balkans", Solana added.
The mission, which became operational in December 2008, has tackled several projects since it began implementing its mandate "in close co-operation with Kosovo institutions". A peaceful deployment throughout the country, including the volatile north; the prosecution of one war crimes case; the first trial in the Mitrovica courthouse since March 2008; and the identification of 23 missing persons' remains and new potential exhumation sites are just some of the tasks the mission has accomplished in the past four months.
EULEX police are deployed throughout Kosovo in 34 police stations and six regional Kosovo Police headquarters. The mission also maintains 24-hour surveillance of the Special Police Units, border police and customs officers at gates 1 and 31 at the border with Serbia. It performs 24-hour patrols with quick response capability by Integrated Police Units throughout the country.
"With about 3,000 staff, [the mission] is bigger than the other ten civilian operations put together that the EU is currently running throughout the world. We are aware of the high expectations that have been placed on EULEX," mission chief Yves de Kermabon said.
He said on Monday that EULEX will continue to monitor, mentor and advise its Kosovo colleagues in charge in the police, courts and customs -- but only local authorities "can deliver the rule of law to the people of Kosovo".
"There will be many challenges, but I am confident that together with the other presences of the EU, we will achieve the mission's success. The overall aim of the Union is to announce stability in Kosovo and in the region," EU Special Representative in Kosovo Pieter Feith said.
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