News

The Council of the European Union, together with the other EU institutions, hold its annual Open Doors Day on 7 May 2011. The doors of the Justus Lipsius - the building of the EU Council in Brussels - were open to the public from 10:00 to 18:00. Guided tours were offered to explain the daily work of the Council to the European citizens and standswere held by the missions and operations currently deployed on 3 continents under the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) of the European Union to present theiractivities on the field.

On 26 May 2011, the Council of the EU has adopted a decision extending the European Union Border Assistance Mission for the Rafah Crossing Point between Egypt and Gaza, until 31 December 2011. The decision was adopted by written procedure.

On 23 May 2011, the Council had reaffirmed, in its conclusions on Middle East Peace Process, the EU readiness to reactivate the EUBAM Rafah Mission, once political and security conditions allow, in order to ensure the EU third party role at the Rafah crossing point, as set out in the 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access.

The EU Journalists Delegation met with EUBAM Rafah and EUPOL COPPS representatives in Ramallah.
EUBAM Rafah’s Deputy Head of Mission, Mario PELLEGRINO, together with EUPOL COPPS’ Deputy Head of Mission, Jesper FRIEDRICHSEN and EU´s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO) press Officer Fadwa BAROUD, briefed this delegation on the missions’ mandates, daily activities, challenges and future, and also on the broader European Union’s support to the Palestinian Security Sector and Justice Sector Reform.
 

The Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to Israel Yasser Reda visited EUBAM Headquarters in Ashkelon on Tuesday 22 March.
On this occasion, Colonel Alain Faugeras presented the current activities of the Mission and updated Ambassador Reda on EUBAM's readiness to redeploy and perform its tasks at the Rafah Crossing Point.
Also attending the meeting were the Deputy Head of the Egyptian Mission, Mr Moustapha El Kouny, the First Secretary of the Egyptian Mission, Mr Barakat Elleithy, EUBAM POLAD Alessandro De Rienzo and EUBAM PPIO Benoit Cusin.  

A delegation from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs visited EUBAM Headquarters in Ashkelon and met with the Head of Mission, Colonel Alain Faugeras, on 20 March 2011.
On this occasion, the visitors were presented the current activities of the Mission and received an update on its readiness to redeploy and perform its tasks at the Rafah Crossing Point. Colonel Faugeras also informed them on the current situation in the Gaza Strip as regard to the crossing of people and goods.

The European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) met with EUPOL COPPS and EUBAM Rafah representatives in Ramallah.

EUPOL COPPS’ Deputy Head of Mission, Jesper FRIEDRICHSEN, together with EUBAM Rafah’s Deputy Head of Mission, Mario PELLEGRINO, briefed this delegation on the missions’ mandates, daily activities, challenges and future, and also on the broader European Union’s support to the Palestinian Security Sector and Justice Sector Reform.

The recently appointed Defense Attaché at the French Embassy in Tel Aviv, Colonel Guillaume BAILLEUX de MARISY and his two assistants visited EUBAM Headquarters in Ashkelon on Wednesday 08 September.
 
Colonel BAILLEUX de MARISY met with Colonel FAUGERAS and received an update on the Mission’s activities.
The French Defense Attaché was also briefed by the Chief of Operations Captain Mario PELLEGRINO, and by the Customs Officer Judith STADER, on EUBAM’s readiness to redeploy and perform its tasks at the Rafah Crossing Point.

Jack Twiss Quarles van Ufford, the Head of Mission of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Representative Office to the Palestinian Authority, met with the Head of Mission of EUBAM Rafah on 13 July 2010 in the Mission's headquarters in Ashkelon.  On this occasion. Colonel Alain Faugeras presented the current activities of the Mission and updated Mr van Ufford on EUBAM's readiness to redeploy and perform its tasks at the Rafah Crossing Point.

Colonel Alain Faugeras, Head of the EUBAM Rafah, met Catherine Ashton, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, in a joint meeting with the Heads of the civilian Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions on 29 June 2010 in Brussels.
 
The meeting was an occasion to discuss the achievements and challenges of the different CSDP missions engaged in various theaters all over the world, in particular in the Middle East, Afghanistan, Congo, Guinea-Bissau, Georgia, Iraq and the Balkans.
 

A delegation from the German Federal Ministry of Interior visited EUBAM Headquarters in Ashkelon and met with the Head of Mission, Colonel Alain Faugeras, on 24 June 2010.
 
On this occasion, the visitors were presented the current activities of the Mission and received an update on its readiness to redeploy and perform its tasks at the Rafah Crossing Point.