The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, the Chief of Defence, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, and the Carabinieri Commander General, Lieutenant General Teo Luzi, opened today at the Farnesina the meeting of the Interministerial High-Level Committee (CIMIN), which has the functions of political control and strategic direction on the European Gendarmerie Force (EuroGendFor), and of political-military coordination between the member countries.
“The European Gendarmerie Force is an essential crisis management tool”, said Tajani, “and provides crucial power, especially in the context of EU civilian missions. A concrete example”, Tajani continued, “was the deployment in the Italian-led Eulex mission in Kosovo. Equally strategic is EuroGendFor’s contribution to the EU mission in Libya to combat migrant smuggling”. As Italy, the minister recalled, “we attach great importance to the southern front: North Africa, the Horn of Africa and the Sahel require our concrete commitment to the development of the continent, and supporting the stability of those countries, also provided through EuroGendFor, is crucial”. In thanking the Carabinieri Corps for the results achieved during Italy’s presidency of EuroGendFor, ending today, the Deputy Prime Minister emphasised the close link between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Carabinieri Corps, which guarantees the security of our Embassies around the world.
“The importance of EuroGendFor in crisis management”, emphasised Chief of Defence Cavo Dragone, “has recently been underlined by its mention in the EU Civilian Compact, which identifies it as one of the tools to make EU civilian missions increasingly effective, structured, flexible and robust”.
Carabinieri Commander General Luzi emphasised that “the presence of EuroGendFor is now strengthened, thanks to its growing relevance in EU missions, especially in the Western Balkans – in Bosnia and Kosovo – where it deploys its largest contingent.
EuroGendFor is a crisis management tool at the disposal of International Organisations, composed of military-led police forces from EU Member States. It currently includes the Italian Arma dei Carabinieri, the Spanish Guardia Civil, the French National Gendarmerie, the Portuguese Guarda Nacional Republicana, the Dutch Marechaussée, the Polish Military Gendarmerie and the Romanian Gendarmerie, as well as Lithuania as a partner and Türkiye as an observer.
The CIMIN is chaired by a Member State on an annual rotating basis. For Italy, which took over the Presidency on 15 December 2022 and will return to chair the Committee in 2030, the Defence General Staff (SMD), the Commander General of the Carabinieri Corps and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), represented by the Deputy Director General for Political Affairs and Security, participate.
During today’s meeting, the objectives achieved by the Italian Presidency were presented, including the enhancement of the Force’s multinational elements, with particular reference to the Reserve Formed Police Unit deployed as part of the Italian-led Eulex mission in Kosovo. Furthermore, the handover between the outgoing Italian Presidency and the Spanish Guardia Civil took place. Finally, the admission of the Republic of Moldova as an observer was made official.
