Sunday 12 September 2010

Do You Want To See An EU Police Force In Action?



From the Express:
A French Gendarme was shot and wounded on Sunday morning during clashes between ethnic Albanians and Serbs in Kosovo's ethnically divided city of Mitrovica as European Union police fired tear gas to disperse the violent crowd, a European Union official said.

Karin Limdal, the spokeswoman for the 2,000-strong EU police mission said the policeman was shot in the leg and was out of danger.
It's hard to know via the reports whether the shooting of the EU policeman was accidental or deliberate. If it was deliberate then hardly surprising as the EULEX mission is not a universally popular one:
The European Union's law enforcement mission in Kosovo (EULEX) was on Tuesday (25 August 2009) the target of violent protests by Albanians opposed to the presence of the international community in the country.

Twenty eight EULEX vehicles near a youth centre in downtown Pristina were damaged during the events, organised by the Vetevendosja (Self-Determination) group, which launched its assault in reaction to co-operation between EULEX and Belgrade.
Despite the title 'European Union Rule of Law Mission', it is actually above the law itself. Its 2000 strong personnel, including their families, are immune from prosecution in Kosovo. EULEX has unlimited executive powers over Kosovo's institutions to which it is not accountable; as made clear in the EU Council's decision of 4 February 2008:
Article 3
Tasks

In order to fulfil the Mission Statement set out in Article 2, EULEX KOSOVO shall:
(h) assume other responsibilities, independently or in support of the competent Kosovo authorities, to ensure the maintenance and promotion of the rule of law, public order and security, in consultation with the relevant Council agencies;
And Kosovo isn't even a member of the EU... yet.

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