EU Council extends mandate of consultative mission in Ukraine until May 31, 2021

The Council of the European Union has extended the mandate of the EU Advisory Mission (EUAM) Ukraine until May 31, 2021, approving its work budget of EUR 54 million for the next two years.

The decision was made in Brussels on May 13 at the meeting of the EU Council on Foreign Affairs.

A press release from the Council of the EU states that the mission's funding has been increased by more than 25%, "which reflects the intensification of the mission's activities, including through the establishment of a second mobile unit, which will be deployed in the east and southeast of Ukraine."

"EUAM Ukraine's overall objective is to support Ukraine in developing sustainable, accountable and efficient security services that strengthen the rule of law. This process is ultimately designed to restore the trust of the Ukrainian people in their civilian security services. The mission supports the reform of the civilian security sector, in close cooperation with the police, other law enforcement agencies and the judicial sector, particularly the prosecutor's office," the report says.

The mission provides strategic advice to the Ukrainian authorities and supports them through operational activities, including training. The mission has five priorities: human resource management, criminal investigation, public order, community policing, and delineation of competencies, according to the document.

EUAM Ukraine is an unarmed, non-executive civilian mission with its headquarters in Kyiv and field offices in Lviv, Kharkiv, and Odesa. It was established on July 22, 2014. It began operations on December 1, 2014 and has currently a team of over 300 people.