The 28 approve the concept of the new EUAM Iraq mission

(B2) Foreign Ministers will approve this Monday (July 17), the Crisis Management Concept (CMC) of the new mission of advice which the European Union intends to deploy in Iraq to contribute to the reform of the security systems (EUAM Iraq).

A mission carried out under the CSDP

It will ultimately be a civilian mission, of the classic type, carried out under the CSDP. The other option, of a light team placed with the delegation, did not have the support of the majority of the Member States which rallied to the historical principle (read: Towards EU stabilization action in the central region of Mali). This is the first step in the planning of the mission which thus comes to concretize the request of the ministers, recorded during the last meeting of June 19 (see also: The EU is considering sending a security advisory and support team to Iraq).

A mission of strategic consulting

This mission should be fairly small in size, both in terms of the workforce – around twenty people – and in terms of the objective. It will be centered on the “strategic advice” of the Iraqi authorities, in terms of internal security, with a particular focus given to the fight against terrorism. It is part of the civilian component of the Iraqi government's national security strategy, which describes several series of threats: terrorism, corruption, political instability and ethnic or religious polarization. The Mission will not provide training per se. But it is not excluded that in the long term, training will be added to his mandate, according to a European diplomat.

A civilian mission based in Baghdad

It will be a civilian mission, financed from the European budget (CFSP), with an envelope of 12 million euros (including a good part intended for the security of expatriates) and 571.000 euros for preparatory measures. It should be deployed in the fall in a single location: in Baghdad. The European desire remains, in fact, to strengthen the Iraqi government and not to make a gesture towards the Kurds.

(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)

Updated 17.7 - Download it communicated Press