| Author (Person) | Cronin, David |
|---|---|
| Series Title | European Voice |
| Series Details | Vol.9, No.43, 18.12.03, p6 |
| Publication Date | 18/12/2003 |
| Content Type | News |
|
Date: 18/12/03 By David Cronin OPERATION Concordia in Macedonia, the EU's first ever military deployment, was this week replaced by a police mission. Some 200 police officers are due to take part in Operation Proxima, which began on Monday (15 December) under the leadership of Chief Commissioner Bart D'Hooge. A Belgian, he has previously worked as an advisor to the police force in the troubled ex-Yugoslav state and has been director of the Police Development Unit for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) for the past two years. Concordia was launched on 31 March this year. The decision to wind it down was taken following an assessment - signed by Macedonian President Boris Trajowski - that the situation in the volatile Balkan republic has improved markedly since unrest broke out between ethnic Albanians and Macedonians in 2001. Visiting Skopje for Proxima's launch, the Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs Javier Solana commented: "The end of Operation Concordia is in no way the end of the EU engagement in this country. "But as the main threat to stability is no longer armed conflict but criminality, the emphasis of our support must be police and not military." The aim of Proxima, which is due to run for one year, is to monitor how the Macedonian police fight organized crime and to provide advice and training so that officers meet the standards of other European forces. The Proxima team is also due to participate in investigations against organized crime networks. The Macedonian authorities have agreed to be in charge of ensuring the safety of the visiting police. But Proxima is due to have what EU diplomats call "a small armed protection element" of around 30 officers to deal with potential emergencies. |
|
| Related Links |
|
| Countries / Regions | Eastern Europe |
