The European Union Police Mission (EUPM) was the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

's mission in

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

that aided the local police organizations, and was one of a number of European Union Police Missions worldwide. It was the first such mission undertaken by the EU within the framework of the Common Foreign and Security Policy. The EUPM was the successor to the United Nations International Police Task Force (part of the

United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina The United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNMIBH) was an international organization formed under the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1035 on 21 December 1995. It completed its mandate on 31 December 2002, when it was succeed ...

) in Bosnia, whose term ended at the end of 2002. The EUPM acted under co-ordination of the

European Union Special Representative The European Union Special Representatives (EUSR) are emissaries of the European Union with specific tasks abroad. While the EU's ambassadors are responsible for affairs with a single country, Special Representatives tackle specific issues, conf ...

, who also served as

High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina The High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, together with the Office of the High Representative (OHR) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, were created in 1995 immediately after the signing of the Dayton Agreement which ended the 1992–1995 Bos ...

. The mission was ended on 30 June 2012.

Mission

The EUPM aimed to help in establishing a sustainable, professional and multi-ethnic police force. It assisted the local police, fighting large-scale

organised crime Organized crime (or organised crime) is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally th ...

and helping with police reform. EUPM, the first mission launched under the Common Security and Defence Policy, was launched on 1 January 2003 for an initial period of three years. Following an invitation by the Bosnian authorities, the EU decided to establish a follow-on police mission with a modified mandate and size. EUPM II lasted for two years (from 1 January 2006 until 31 December 2007). It monitored, advised and inspected BiH police forces according to three main pillars, i.e. support to the police reform process, strengthening of police accountability and supporting the fight against organised crime. At the end of 2007 the EU Police Mission was extended for another two years (from 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2009). During those two years, the mission continued its work with regard to the three same pillars, with particular emphasis on the fight against organised crime. EUPM also devoted particular attention to reinforcing cooperation between police and prosecutors.

References

Sources

Official EUPM site

External links

* Dominik Tolksdor
The Difficulties of the European Union in Supporting the Europeanization of Bosnia and Herzegovina
EU Frontier Policy Paper, Budapest: Center for EU Enlargement Studies – Central European University, 2011 {{Authority control Law enforcement in Bosnia and Herzegovina International law enforcement organizations

Bosnia and Herzegovina–European Union relations