The EULEX Formed Police Unit in Kosovo will strengthen its capacities with a Reserve Formed Police Unit consisting of 92 members drawn from the  European Gendarmerie Force EUROGENDFOR. 

The reserve unit will consist of 42 officers from Portugal, 28 from France and 22 from Italy. A preliminary team was scheduled to arrive on March 14, EULEX said in a statement.

Asked  if this deployment was related to the war in Ukraine and fears of a “second front” opening in the Balkans, EULEX told Prishtina Insight that the deployment is a response to EULEX’s need for “additional forces on the ground and [to] better support its Kosovo counterparts if requested and if necessary.”

“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine puts everything in a different light. As the EU High Representative/Vice President, Josep Borrell said, Russian influence can have an impact on the Western Balkans,” it added in response to Prishtina Insight.

“We are worried about what might happen in the whole region. We are afraid that Russia is not going to stop in Ukraine, and Russian influence can start working in neighboring countries Moldova and Georgia, and will have an impact on the Western Balkans,” Borrell told a news conference in Brussels after a virtual meeting of EU foreign ministers on the crisis in Ukraine on February 27.

For the time being, despite the war situation in Ukraine, there are no significant security concerns that might necessitate the activation of EULEX in Kosovo as “second security responder”, it said. 

“The security situation in Kosovo is stable, but it may change fast. EULEX remains vigilant and closely monitors all developments that might impact on Kosovo’s security, in line with the Mission’s mandate,” it wrote in its response.

According to EULEX, it may deploy the extra gendarmes whenever it is deemed necessary to have additional troops to maintain security, to have an additional presence on the ground to perform its duty as second security responder.

“The deployment of a regular Polish police unit in response to a request from the Kosovo Police in September 2021, following the deteriorating security situation in Brnjak / Tabalije and Rudnica / Jarinje, demonstrated the need for EULEX,” it added.

The news force of gendarmes will be stationed at the Support Complex in Fushë Kosovë / Kosovo Polje and will be under the command of EULEX. The Regular Specialized Police Unit currently consists of 105 Polish police officers based in Mitrovica.

EULEX began its mission in Kosovo in 2008, after Kosovo declared its independence, which Serbia does not recognise. It is largest mission conducted under the European Union’s Common Security and Defence Policy.

In the early stages of independence, EULEX was deployed in Kosovo to assist local authorities in establishing sustainable and independent institutions and the rule of law, initially replacing and assuming many powers from the justice system administered by the United Nations’ Kosovo mission, UNMIK.

EULEX’s Formed Police Unit is Kosovo’s second security responder and provides support to the Kosovo Police in terms of crowd and riot control capability, through advice and joint training sessions. The Kosovo Police is the first security responder and the KFOR peacekeeping force is the third security responder. 

The European Gendarmerie Force is a multinational, operational, pre-organised, robust, and rapidly deployable Police Force. EUROGENDFOR can be put at the disposal of the EU, the UN, OSCE, NATO, and other international organisations or coalitions.