EU appoints new head of Ukraine mission
On 7 January 2016, the Council appointed Mr Kęstutis Lančinskas, a senior Lithuanian police official, as
head of the European Union Advisory Mission Ukraine. Mr
Lančinskas will replace Mr
Kalman Mizsei and is
expected to take up his duties in Kyiv on 1 February 2016.
The European Union Advisory Mission for
Civilian Security Sector Reform Ukraine, EUAM Ukraine, was formally launched on
1 December 2014, with a mandate to support Ukrainian state agencies in the
reform of the security sector. The mission is one the central elements of the
EU's enhanced support to the Ukrainian authorities after the Maidan uprising in December 2013. It follows the signing of
an Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU in 2014, which includes the
establishment of a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA). The DCFTA
came into effect on 1 January 2016.
The EUAM aims to strengthen and support reform
in state agencies such as the police, other law enforcement agencies and the
overall judiciary, particularly the prosecutor's office. This process is
ultimately designed to restore the trust of the Ukrainian people in their
civilian security services, which have been beset by allegations of corruption
and malpractice.
Today's decision was taken by the Political and
Security Committee.
A Masters graduate of criminal law, Mr Lančinskas held several
first secretary roles as part of Lithuania's diplomatic service during the
1990s. From 1998 to 2005, he served as the head of the international
cooperation and European integration service at Lithuania's Ministry of the
Interior, where he was also responsible for Lithuania's participation in
peace-keeping missions, and its accession to the Schengen cooperation.
Mr Lančinskas
became deputy police commissioner general of Lithuania in 2005, before taking
over as chief of Vilnius County Police in January 2009, a position he has held
until now.
European Council
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2016/01/07-new-head-ukraine-mission/