During the CIMIN meeting on the 13th of December 2018, the Commander of the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee has taken over the EUROGENDFOR Presidency from Portugal. For 2019, the Netherlands strive to continue, in close cooperation with the PHQ, the efforts made by the Portugese and earlier EUROGENDFOR presidencies.
Key concepts of future, focus and flexibility have been identified by the Dutch presidency and will be reflected in the objectives for 2019.
In a world that is developing at a rapid pace, it is essential for EUROGENDFOR to prepare itself for different kinds of future threats and challenges. Most of these threats and challenges are transnational in nature, which makes international cooperation and coordination of particular significance. For this reason, one of the objectives is to define future EUROGENDFOR deployment scenario’s. Taking recent global developments into account, the Netherlands will organize an expert meeting: “Looking from the outside in: future international missions”. The outcomes of this session can be used to ensure that the EUROGENDFOR Catalogue of Capabilities is in line with future needs and developments.
A second objective is to further increase the visibility of EUROGENDFOR within international organizations, as well as at the governmental level of all EUROGENDFOR Member States. During the Portuguese presidency important steps have been taken to achieve closer cooperation with the EU. The Dutch presidency will continue the efforts to deploy a EUROGENDFOR PoC within the EU civilian crisis management structures. Besides that, it is important to align with the Civilian CSDP Compact that the EU has recently adopted. Also, the possibilities to cooperate with FRONTEX and other initiatives, could be further investigated. The communication plan, developed under the Portuguese presidency, will be used to reach out to international partners. Hereby, an integral approach is a necessity. Different initiatives should complement each other. Therefore, the Netherlands will examine whether cooperation can be established with the International Association of Gendarmeries and Police Forces with Military Status (FIEP) and the European Union Police and Civilian Services Training Programme (EUPCST). The Netherlands is also presiding over the FIEP this year and is consortium leader of EUPCST.
Another objective for the EUROGENDFOR presidency is to further develop the Force Capability Concept, with a focus on tailor-made, specialized teams with high quality and high readiness to deploy in crisis situations. These teams should include specific gendarmerie expertise, that is needed in the light of future EUROGENDFOR deployment scenario’s. Also, these teams should be flexible and able to address future challenges more easily.
Furthermore, the Dutch presidency intends to enlarge the role of EUROGENDFOR in facilitating small-scale training programs. Deployments abroad are becoming more diverse in nature, while at the same time we are facing an unusually high demand in our home countries. By providing small-scale training programs to third countries, the EUROGENDFOR member states can use their capacities in an efficient way and still reach valuable results. A multidisciplinary and modular approach is what the Dutch presidency aims for.
Lastly, the Dutch presidency stresses the need for EUROGENDFOR to become more decisive and flexible. To that aim, consensus on the revision of the Financial System of EUROGENDFOR is necessary. The Dutch presidency invites the member states to join the search for a shared vision so that we can strengthen EUROGENDFOR’s position and realize our ambitions.
The Netherlands will organize the Working Group meetings on March 26, June 19, September 25 and December 11. The CIMIN meeting will be organised on December 12, 2019.
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