11 European Union Police Mission for
the Palestinian Territories (EUPOL COPPS)
| Committee's assessment
| Politically important
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| Committee's decision
| Cleared from scrutiny
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| Document details
| Council Decision on the European Union Police Mission for the Palestinian Territories (EUPOL COPPS)
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| Legal base
| Articles 28, 42 (4) and 43 (2) TEU; unanimity
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| Department
| Foreign and Commonwealth Office
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Summary and Committee's conclusions
11.1 Following the 15 November 2005
Agreement on Movement and Access for Gaza between Israel and the
Palestinian Authority, the EU established EUBAM Rafah: the Border
Assistance Mission at the Rafah crossing point between Gaza and
Egypt. Whilst active, EUBAM Rafah facilitated the crossing of
over 500,000 people and contributed to confidence building activity
between the parties related to border control and customs. However,
following the Hamas takeover of the Gaza strip, the mission has
not been opened since June 2007, and has been on standby ever
since.
11.2 In 2006, the EU Co-ordinating Office
for Palestinian Police Support (established in 2005, within the
office of the EU Special Representative (EUSR) to the Middle East
Peace Process, with financial support from Sweden, Denmark, the
UK and Spain) was elevated to a full CSDP mission, EUPOL COPPS,
with 33 staff and a three-year mandate.
11.3 It was intended to merge the two
missions by June 2012: but Israel rejected this proposal. EUBAM
Rafah's operational element was relocated to Tel Aviv to reduce
costs; the overall number of staff for the mission was reduced
from 19 to five.
11.4 The proposed Council Decision extends
the mandate of EUPOL COPPS for 12 months to 30 June 2015. Proposed
expenditure for the next 12 months should not exceed €9 million,
representing what the Minister for Europe (Mr David Lidington)
describes as a significant reduction on the current budget of
€9.57 million for 2013/14. He notes that the original budget
proposed was €9.82 million:
"However, in line with our
policy for the rigorous management of resources, we obtained agreement
to a reduction in actual expenditure in the form of an Outcome
of Proceedings. This is a politically binding agreement that will
limit the funds transferred from the CFSP budget to EUPOL COPPS.
Reduced expenditure will be achieved by the removal of an allocation
of €250,000 in respect of a proposed move to a new HQ and
surrounding running costs of approximately €590,000."
11.5 The Minister supports this 12 month
extension because
"i) it is a successful Mission
that plays an important role in Palestinian state-building efforts;
and ii) cutting the mission now could be seen by the US, Israel
and the Palestinians as a change in the EU's position on the importance
of the Middle East Peace Process."
11.6 Following our continued exhortations
last year to provide evidence of the Mission's achievements in
return for an expenditure thus far of some €60 million, the
Minister now provides further such evidence, which we welcome.
11.7 We also commend him and his
officials for once again bringing a strong focus to bear on constraining
the 2014-15 budget, particularly where (as usual) the default
is for an increase.
11.8 While EUPOL COPPS continues
to make progress in very challenging circumstances, its "sister"
mission, EUBAM Rafah, remains in the doldrums. We therefore look
forward to receiving the promised further information on the EUBAM
Rafah interim Strategic Review, once it has been published, with
his views on the implications for the Mission's future; and also
the information that the Committee has requested on the comprehensive
EU approach to Gaza.
11.9 In the meantime, we clear this
Council Decision.
Full details of the documents:
Council Decision amending and extending
Council Decision 2013/354/CFSP on the European Union Police Mission
for the Palestinian Territories (EUPOL COPPS): (36161) —.
Background
11.10 Following the 15 November 2005
Agreement on Movement and Access for Gaza between Israel and the
Palestinian Authority, the EU established EUBAM Rafah: the Common
Security and Defence Policy Border Assistance Mission at the Rafah
crossing point between Gaza and Egypt. Whilst active, EUBAM Rafah
facilitated the crossing of over 500,000 people and contributed
to confidence building activity between the parties related to
border control and customs. However, following the Hamas takeover
of the Gaza strip, the mission has not been opened since June
2007, and has been on standby ever since.
11.11 In 2006, the EU Co-ordinating
Office for Palestinian Police Support (established in 2005, within
the office of the EU Special Representative (EUSR) to the Middle
East Peace Process, with financial support from Sweden, Denmark,
the UK and Spain) was elevated to a full CSDP mission, with 33
staff and a three-year mandate.
11.12 It was intended to merge the two
missions by June 2012: but Israel rejected this proposal. EUBAM
Rafah's operational element was relocated to Tel Aviv to reduce
costs; the overall number of staff for the mission was reduced
from 19 to five. The Minister said that efforts to merge the
two Heads of Mission would continue.
11.13 A year on, there had been no fundamental
change to this situation. In June 2013, we accordingly cleared
a Council Decision authorising a further twelve-month budget of
€9.57 million. Although again commending the Minister for
his and his officials' continuing efforts towards and success
in maintaining budgetary discipline, the Committee chastised the
Minister for again failing to provide any information, which the
Committee had asked for a year earlier, that substantiated the
various claims for EUPOL COPPS' achievements in return for an
investment that, including the 2013-14 budget, amounted to some
€60 million.
11.14 In his response dated 28 June
2013, the Minister noted that EUPOL COPPS had gradually shifted
focus from equipping counterparts and providing immediate assistance,
to institution and capacity building — its most notable
achievement has been the development of the Jericho Police Training
College. This work had been instrumental in providing necessary
equipment and training to establish a professional and efficient
Palestinian Civil Police (PCP), whose effectiveness was central
to improving security in the West Bank and to building the institutions
of a future Palestinian state. He outlined a number of ways in
which, as well as establishing sustainable and effective policing,
EUPOL COPPS had continued to support Palestinian capacity building
in security. Regarding the mooted possibility of merging the two
missions, the Minister said that, following the decision to relocate
EUBAM Rafah to Tel Aviv to reduce costs, a merger continued to
not be possible, given the Israeli opposition to such a move and
that their support was imperative for EUPOL COPPS' success.
11.15 The Minister also noted that,
following the six-monthly reviews of both missions in May 2013,
Member States had agreed that the EEAS would revise the operations
planning documents for EUPOL COPPS to reflect the agreement that
the mission would focus on:
— "re-calibrating its
efforts to the more strategic level, without compromising its
current contribution at the tactical level;
— "addressing remaining
deficiencies in the Palestinian police and criminal justice sectors;
— "enhancing its engagement
with the PCP at the level of West Bank districts so as to consolidate
strategic interventions and reform already introduced at the central
level."
11.16 The Minister also said that:
"It was also noted that a more
systematised modus operandi, based on the programmatic approach
and in compliance with the existing civilian CSDP benchmarking
methodology will be applied to the mission from the 1st
July. We will continue to encourage the mission to develop concrete
operational objectives against which to measure progress."
[26]
11.17 More recently, we reminded the
Minister that, as and when he submitted a Council Decision regarding
the 2014-15 budget, we looked forward to receiving similar such
information about its achievements during the past year.[27]
The Minister's Explanatory Memorandum of 23 June
2014
11.18 The Minister recalls that in his
Explanatory Memorandum of 6 June 2014 on the Council Decision
on EUBAM Rafah, he had explained that budgetary discussions were
underway for EUPOL COPPS and that he would write separately once
these had been concluded.
11.19 He also notes that, since writing
on 6 June, the EUBAM Rafah interim Strategic Review has not yet
been published; that UK officials are continuing to lobby for
its early publication; and that he will write again once he has
received the review with his views on the implications for the
Mission's future; and at the same time, will also provide the
information that the Committee has requested on the comprehensive
EU approach to Gaza.[28]
11.20 The Minister then continues as
follows:
"We have indicated in Brussels
that we would be content for a 12 month extension of the mandate
for EUPOL COPPs because i) it is a successful Mission that plays
an important role in Palestinian state-building efforts; and ii)
cutting the mission now could be seen by the US, Israel and the
Palestinians as a change in the EU's position on the importance
of the Middle East Peace Process.
"EUPOL COPPS assists the Palestinian
Authority to develop effective and sustainable policing and wider
criminal justice arrangements, in line with international best
practice. The Mission's focus has not changed. The Mission continues
to play a critical role in the wider Palestinian Authority security
sector and is a crucial component of EU support to Palestinian
state building. It contributes to the Middle East Peace Process
by doing highly effective work to strengthen law and order in
the West Bank under a strong leadership team, and to growing Palestinian
public confidence in the Palestinian Civilian Police and justice
institutions. The mission also contributes to broader EU aims:
building the capacity of the Palestinian police to police all
areas in the West Bank and aiming, in line with May 2012 Foreign
Affairs Council conclusions, to encourage more cooperation between
Palestinian and Israeli security forces and access into areas
B and C."
PROGRESS TO DATE:
"Over the last year, EUPOL COPPS
has achieved a number of notable successes related to its 3 objectives
of supporting the Palestinian Civil Police reform and development,
strengthening and supporting the criminal justice system and improving
police-prosecution interaction:
· "Continuing to support
and assist the Palestinian Civil Police (PCP) and making progress
in addressing the lack of clarity and delineation of roles and
responsibilities among PA security and justice institutions;
· "Successfully embedding
two ministerial advisers in the Ministry of the Interior who are
providing policy and technical advice to senior MoI officials
related to civilian policing;
· "Preparing an analysis
of the legislative framework regulating the PCP in the Occupied
Palestinian Territory, which was the first time that such a comprehensive
analysis has been prepared. This will be used to inform the drafting
of the Law on Police;
· "Assisting and supporting
the drafting of the 2014-2016 PCP Strategic Plan;
· "Supporting structural
reform of training administration, promoting the concept of in-service
training for PCP officers. It has developed training curricula
at the Palestinian College for Police Sciences for basic and developmental
training courses;
· "Assisting in developing
the terms of reference for new criminal and statistical analysis
units in Ramallah, Nablus, Jenin and Bethlehem;
· "Promoting effective
and efficient frontline policing through organising workshops
involving all district commanders and heads of specialised administrations;
· "Carrying out a number
of training initiatives to enhance the organisational and administrative
structures of the key Criminal Justice Institutions;
· "Organising and funding
a conference for Israeli and Palestinian police and prosecution
services on how to improve legal procedures, continuity of evidence
and cooperation between the two criminal justice systems;
· "Being fully involved
in the institutional development of the Family Protection Unit
(FPU) and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), two operational
units within the PCP which are instrumental for efficient police-prosecution
cooperation.
"In addition to these successes,
EUPOL COPPS has ensured that its activities are fully in line
with the CSDP benchmarking methodology with a clear monitoring
and evaluation system. We therefore support renewing the mandate
for 12 months as part of our continuing Palestinian state-building
efforts and to maintain the work in supporting the Palestinian
Authority's development of their policing and rule of law capabilities."
BUDGETARY ANALYSIS
11.21 The Minister says that, "in
line with the UK approach on all other CSDP missions", he
and his officials "have worked hard to scrutinise this budget
to ensure it is fit for purpose", and that by "questioning
the assumptions behind each budget line we are happy that this
budget as accurately as possible predicts the actual spend for
the year."
11.22 The details are as follows:
"Proposed expenditure for the period
1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015 will not exceed €9m. This represents
a significant decrease on the current allocation. A comparison
of the current and proposed budget is set out below:
| Budget heading
| 2013/14 (Euros)
| 2014/15 (Euros)
|
| Personnel costs
| 5,991,504
| 6,445,616
|
| Missions |
206,344 | 205,104
|
| Running expenditure
| 2,248,346
| 1,671,930
|
| Capital expenditure
| 914,204 |
538,159 |
| Representation
| 12,000 |
15,600 |
| Contingencies
| 197,602 |
103,591 |
| Total
| 9,570,000
| 8,980,000
|
· "Personnel Costs
(€6,445,616):
o "The proposed allocation
is a rise of €454,112 on the current, representing an increase
of 7.5%. The majority of this increase is due to automatic annual
salary increments set down in terms & conditions for
employment over which we have no control.
· "Missions Expenditure
(€205,104):
o "Proposed expenditure shows
a small decrease of €1,240.
· "Running Costs (€1,671,930):
o "Overall costs will fall
due to the postponement of the move to the new HQ, which would
have incurred costs of €590,000. High Risk insurances for
the Head of Mission and International Staff have decreased by
€34,816 whilst Local Staff insurance has risen by €3,966
due to additional cover for dependents. Expenditure on building
supplies and maintenance have risen by €13,650 to €28,650
because the main office building was old and required regular
repairs.
· "Capital Expenditure
(€538,159)
o "There is reduction of €375,865
to this budget line, representing a decrease of 41%. The key
contributor to this reduction concerns the removal of an allocation
of €250,000 for a proposed office move.
The removal of this allocation followed
negotiations in which the UK adopted a tough line in order to
secure a zero real growth budget.
· "Representation (€15,600):
o "Proposed expenditure shows
a rise of €3600.
· "Contingencies (€103,591):
o "The contingency reserve
can vary between 1%-3% of the budget and is set at 1.05% for the
new period. This is lower than the current year because costs
for visiting experts have been moved into the main budget."
Previous Committee Reports:
None; but see (35034) and (34035) —: Sixth Report HC 83-vi
(2013-14), chapter 17 (19 June 2013) and Thirteenth Report HC
83-xiii (2013-14), chapter 44 (4 September 2013); also see (36115)
—: Third Report HC 219-iii (2014-15), chapter 12 (18 June
2014).
26 See Thirteenth Report, HC 83-xiii (2013-14), chapter 44
(4 September 2013). Back
27
See (36115) -: Third Report, HC 219-iii (2014-15), chapter 12
(18 June 2014). Back
28
Ibid. Back
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