EUROGENDFOR Commander’s Message
Welcome to the European Gendarmerie Force website.
It is an honour for me to address you as the new Commander of EUROGENDFOR.
Since its foundation in 2005, EUROGENDFOR has been working hard every day doing its best to contribute to the development of the rule of law, and its implementation in different operational scenarios, under the aegis of international organizations, such as the European Union, the United Nations, NATO, and possibly under additional ad hoc coalitions.
Stemming from the growing need for stabilization, and the requirement of increased policing skills and capabilities in areas of crises, all of the hard work carried out by EUROGENDFOR has been done to the highest international standards in policing activities, as well as adapting it to the local ownership model. This is also increasing in terms of expertise, manpower, and our commitments to strengthening tasks.
I strongly believe that the dual nature of the Gendarmerie forces, which make up EUROGENDFOR, provides this initiative with:
- An added value to participate in stability operations, such as full policing capability grounded to the police approach and mind-set, embedded to a military background, which grants us those additional abilities required to operate in destabilised areas, in any missions, and under any chain of command.
- The resources from other contributors which could also be necessary in EUROGENDFOR operations, once approved by its Member States, in adherence to the operation at hand, and the required specialists to be deployed.
The Permanent Headquarters, which I have the privilege to lead, stands ready to conduct operational planning for future missions, as well as managing ongoing ones. We have only been able to reach our current position due to the hard work and effort put in by all the personnel who have preceded us in this structure, which we will continue to uphold and further enhance to our expectations, as we continue to strive to do our best.
Paulo Gonçalves
EUROGENDFOR Commander