EULEX KOSOVO POLICE STAFFING GAPS AND TRANSITION

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BRUSSELS 000997 SIPDIS FOR EUR/SCE, EUR/ERA, INL E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/01/2018 TAGS: PREL KPKO EUN UNMIK KV SUBJECT: EULEX KOSOVO POLICE STAFFING GAPS AND TRANSITION ACTIVITIES Classified By: A/Political Minister-Counselor Alyce Tidball for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: EU officials described for member and third state contributors current EULEX shortfalls in specialized police capabilities including sniper and SWAT teams, K9 units and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) units at a June 30 workshop in Brussels. Emphasizing that it had been the member states themselves that had decided these capabilities were required for the EU to effectively fulfill its police mandate in Kosovo, EULEX officials said that without adequate contributions, EULEX would lack the ability to perform high-risk operations and sufficiently protect EULEX personnel. Staffing shortfalls do not extend to the crowd and riot control aspects of the mission; the EU has secured commitments to fill all four of the required police units in that functional area. EULEX planners generally are satisfied with UNMIK reconfiguration plans, but admit that specific details remain to be discussed. In the interim period before the EU assumes authority and begins implementing its mandate, EULEX personnel will deploy and work to build connections with and informally mentor Kosovar officials, as well as to familiarize themselves with UNMIK cases and files. End Summary. ¶2. (C) EU Civilian Planning and Conduct Capability (CPCC) staff and EULEX mission officials held a June 30 workshop to solicit member and third state contributions to the EULEX Security and Intervention Units (SIU). The SIU units include a 70-person Close Protection Unit (CPU),a K9 unit consisting of 20 dog handlers and dogs, a 12-person Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit, and a 56-officer Intervention Group which includes sniper and SWAT team components. EULEX officials emphasized that only 50 percent of the slots have been filled in these units, and without full staffing, the EU would lack sufficient capacity to deal with high risk operations and protect EULEX personnel. The EU currently has no formal offers of sniper squads or K9 units, and only one of three SWAT teams pledged. They have only 2 of the requested 12 EOD officers. Officials explained that their initial approach had been to request full 5-man SWAT teams or sniper squads from contributing states in order to reduce fragmentation and take advantage of national training but, 
due to the alarming gaps, they were revising the policy to accept contributions of individual officers with the required expertise. The French Gendarmerie has offered pre-deployment training in France for any subsequent multinational, "mosaic" teams that are pieced together from new contributions. ¶3. (C) Describing these resources as ones "we need but hope we never have to use," CPCC officials emphasized that it was the member states themselves who directed planners to request these teams and capabilities because they were essential for the EU to fulfill the executive policing portions of its mandate in Kosovo. Now the member states must make good on their commitments and fill the outstanding requirements, preferably before the July 10 deadline of the current call for contributions. Moreover, one EULEX official noted, because the EULEX mission represents the first time the EU has executive powers in an ESDP mission and the first time the EU will provide the capability of a high-end intervention group, it would be especially shameful for the EU to fail at this "historic" effort due to lack of contributions. He added that the Kosovo Police Service (KPS) currently lacks the capability to do high-risk operations, so EULEX initially will be providing the only high-end police expertise and equipment available in the country. In response, representatives from Italy and Sweden agreed the necessity of fulfilling the requirements, but cautioned EU officials not to overuse the "historic ESDP" rhetoric, lest the EU be unfairly accused of trying to build the structure and power behind ESDP when it was merely trying to meet needs in Kosovo. (Note: Roughly half of EU member states had representation at the workshop, and all third states except Switzerland attended.) ¶4. (C) On equipment issues, EULEX officials said that while the EU has defined the lists of equipment they expect to see transferred from UNMIK to EULEX, they remain unsure as to when that equipment will be received. Because some of the SIU tasks will be different than what UNMIK currently performs and therefore not subject to transfer under reconfiguration plans, contributors were provided a list BRUSSELS 00000997 002 OF 002 (sent to EUR/SCE and INL) of the specialized equipment required for the SIU units, and urged to contribute where they could. Expressing some surprise at what was apparently a new list of requests for the member states, the Swedish representative raised the possibility that some of the equipment on the list would be prohibited under national laws or police practices and argued for more time for the EU to examine the list. Otherwise silent through the presentation, EULEX Deputy Head of Mission Roy Reeve explained that the real focus for contributors should not be equipment, which the EU would purchase for these special teams if necessary, but rather the staffing gaps that remain, particularly in the K9 realm. When asked privately on the margins what would happen if contributors did not provide the necessary capabilities, one CPCC official said that the EU would probably have to scale back its level of ambition with regard to these special policing tasks. (Comment: The embarrassment factor of not being able to perform key tasks could be the best instrument CPCC has to encourage member states to step up to the task they have set themselves.) ¶5. (C) According to CPCC planners, the shortfalls they are experiencing in filling SIU capabilities do not extend to other special police areas, which include crowd and riot control (CRC) and witness security. Four integrated police units (IPUs) have been pledged by France, Italy, Poland, and Romania to fulfill the EU's current requirements to deploy two IPUs in Northern Kosovo, and two in the South, for a total of approximately 450 CRC police officers. The Polish and Romanian IPUs will transfer over from UNMIK duty after reconfiguration, and EU officials note with some dismay rumors that France and Italy are considering moving their gendarme forces rom KFOR duty to EULEX. The EU has receivedthe budgetary allocation, although not yet the political approval from member states, to add two additional IPUs (approximately 310 officers) if the security situation warrants. These reserve units have not yet been pledged. CPCC planners anticipate a total mission strength of approximately 1850 personnel, including the CRC forces, but not including the contingency units. There are nearly 210 remaining vacancies spread throughout the police, justice, and customs sectors of the mission, including the unfilled SIU jobs. The EU hopes to have these jobs filled during July. ¶6. (C) Asked about the UNMIK reconfiguration process, CPCC officials said that they thought they had "most of what they needed" from the UN, but specific details on deployment and asset transfer schedules are still being discussed. In the meantime, they have defined roles and tasks for deployed staff with the goal of increasing EULEX visibility ahead of taking over executive responsibilities and implementing the EULEX mandate at the end of the transition period. Specifically, during this period EULEX police officers charged with performing the EU's monitoring, mentoring, and advising KPS duties will begin to build connections with the KPS and other actors and begin making assessments in order to be adequately prepared when EULEX assumes full duties. EULEX anticipates close cooperation with UNMIK on reviewing the police involvement on criminal files and related evidence, as well as additional in country training for special police. On the justice side, judges and prosecutors will initially deploy in local courts and prosecution offices in Pristina, Peja, Prizren and Gilan to build connections with local officials and gain access to UNMIK case files. MURRAY .