The European Union (EU) has undertaken a number of overseas missions and operations, drawing on civilian and military capabilities, in several countries across three continents (Europe, Africa and Asia), as part of its Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). The operation or mission in question will work in agreement and coordination with the EU delegations, until 2009 known as the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP).European Union External Action > EU Operations Benjamin Pohl (2013) The logic underpinning EU crisis management operations, European Security, 22(3): 307-325, DOI:10.1080/09662839.2012.726220, p. 311.

Classification

In the EU terminology, civilian CSDP interventions are called 'missions', regardless of whether they have an executive mandate such as EULEX Kosovo or a non-executive mandate (all others). Civilian missions include uniformed personnel such as Police and Gendarmerie, but not military personnel.

Military interventions, however, can either have an executive mandate such as for example Operation Atalanta in which case they are referred to as 'operations' and are commanded at two-star level; or non-executive mandate (e.g. EUTM Somalia) in which case they are called 'missions' and are commanded at one-star level.

Deployment procedure

The decision to deploy – together with any subsequent management of – the mission or operation in question, will ultimately be taken by the EU member states in the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC).

Military operations may be launched after four planning phases, through which the Operation Commander (Op. Cdr.), Military Staff (EUMS), Military Committee (EUMC), Political and Security Committee (PSC) and Council have different roles.

Command and control structure

List of ongoing missions Beginning Name Abbreviation 2 December 2004 European Union Force Bosnia and Herzegovina ALTHEA EUFOR ALTHEA 25 November 2005 European Union Border Assistance Mission to Rafah EUBAM Rafah 1 January 2006 European Union Mission for the Support of Palestinian Police and Rule of Law EUPOL COPPS 1 October 2008 European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia EUMM Georgia 5 November 2008 European Union Naval Force Operation Somalia ATALANTA EU NAVFOR ATALANTA 9 December 2008 European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo EULEX Kosovo 10 April 2010 European Union Training Mission in Somalia EUTM Somalia 16 July 2012 European Union Capacity Building Mission in Somalia EUCAP SomaliaMay 2013 European Union Integrated Border Assistance Mission in Libya EUBAM LibyaApril 2014 European Union Capacity Building Mission in Mali EUCAP Sahel MaliDecember 2014 European Union Advisory Mission in Ukraine EUAM Ukraine 16 July 2016 European Union Training Mission in the Central African Republic EUTM RCA 22 November 2017 European Union Advisory Mission in Iraq EUAM IraqJune 2019 European Union Regional Advisory Cell for the Sahel EU RACC SAHEL 9 December 2019 European Union Advisory Mission in the Central African Republic EUAM RCA 31 March 2020 European Union Naval Force Mediterranean IRINI EUNAVFOR MED IRINI 17 October 2022 European Union Military Assistance Mission in Support of Ukraine EUMAM Ukraine 23 January 2023 European Union Mission in Armenia EUM ArmeniaDecember 2023 European Union Security and Defence Initiative in Support of West African Countries of the Gulf of Guinea EU SDI GOG 24 April 2023 European Union Partnership Mission in the Republic of Moldova EUPM Moldova 19 February 2024 European Union Naval Force Operation ASPIDES EUNAVFOR ASPIDES 1 September 2024 European Union Military Assistance Mission Mozambique EUMAM Mozambique 21 April 2026 European Union Partnership Mission in Armenia EUPM Armenia

List of past missions Beginning End Name Abbreviation Alternative name Personnel OHQJuly 1991 31 December 2007 European Union Monitoring Mission in the former Yugoslavia ECMM / EUMM N/A ? ?December 2002 Police Assistance Mission of the European Community to Albania PAMECA N/A ? ? 1 January 2003 30 June 2012 European Union Police Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina EUPM BiH N/A 774 ? 31 March 2003 15 December 2003 European Union Military Operation in the Republic of Macedonia EUFOR Concordia Operation Concordia 400 ACO 12 June 2003 1 September 2003 European Union Military Operation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo EUFOR Artemis Operation Artemis 1800 15 December 2003 14 December 2005 European Union Police Mission in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia EUPOL FYROM EUPOL Proxima 200 ? 16 July 2004 14 July 2005 European Union Rule of Law Mission in Georgia EUJUST Georgia EUJUST Themis 27 ? 12 April 2005 30 June 2007 European Union Police Mission in Kinshasa EUPOL Kinshasa N/A ? ? 8 June 2005 2016 European Union Security Sector Reform Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo EUSEC RD Congo N/A ? ? 1 July 2005 31 December 2013 European Union Integrated Rule of Law Mission in Iraq EUJUST LEX Iraq N/A ? ? 18 July 2005 31 December 2007 European Union Support to African Union Mission in Sudan AMIS EU Supporting Action N/A ? ? 15 September 2005 15 December 2006 European Union Monitoring Mission in Aceh AMM N/A ? ? 15 December 2005 14 June 2006 European Union Police Advisory Team in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia EUPAT N/A ? ? 12 June 2006 30 November 2006 European Union Military Operation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2006) EUFOR RD Congo N/A 2300 ? 15 June 2007 31 December 2016 European Union Police Mission in Afghanistan EUPOL Afghanistan N/A ? ? 1 July 2007 30 September 2014 European Union Police Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo EUPOL RD Congo N/A ? ? 12 February 2008 30 September 2010 European Union Mission in Support of Security Sector Reform in Guinea-Bissau EUSSR Guinea-Bissau N/A ? ? 17 March 2008 15 March 2009 European Union Military Operation in Chad and the Central African Republic EUFOR Tchad/RCA N/A 3700 ?July 2012 30 June 2024 European Union Capacity Building Mission in Niger EUCAP Sahel Niger N/A ? February 2013 January 2014 European Union Aviation Security Mission in South Sudan EUAVSEC South Sudan N/A ? ? 18 February 2013 17 May 2024 European Union Training Mission in Mali EUTM Mali N/A 500 10 February 2014 23 March 2015 European Union Military Operation in the Central African Republic EUFOR RCA N/A 600 ? 23 March 2015 16 July 2016 European Union Military Advisory Mission in the Central African Republic EUMAM RCA N/A ? ? 22 June 2015 31 March 2020 European Union Naval Force Mediterranean EUNAVFOR Med Operation Sophia ? 20 February 2023 30 June 2024 European Union Military Partnership Mission in Niger EUMPM Niger N/A ? ?

See also

Related topics of the Common Security and Defence Policy: Operations of the European Border and Coast Guard Defence forces of the European Union History of the Common Security and Defence Policy

Operations and exercises of the precursors of the Common Security and Defence Policy Missions of the Western European Union Exercises of the Western Union

Operations and exercises of the multinational forces made available to the CSDP in accordance with article 42.3 of the Treaty on European Union: List of operations of the European Maritime Force List of operations of the European Rapid Operational Force List of missions of the European Gendarmerie Force List of exercises of the European Maritime Force List of operations of the European Corps

Missions and exercises of other organisations: List of missions of the United Nations List of operations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation List of exercises of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation List of non-UN peacekeeping missions

Notes

References

External links

List of CSDP missions EU Civilian and Military Missions 2003-14, London School of Economics PhD Thesis on Civilian CSDP – EU Civilian crisis management (University of Geneva, 2008, 441 p. in French) Benjamin Pohl (2013) The logic underpinning EU crisis management operations, European Security, 22(3): 307–325, DOI:10.1080/09662839.2012.726220. European Centre of Excellence for Civilian Crisis Management European Centre of Excellence for Civilian Crisis Management