Актуальные проблемы Европы №3 / 2013 - стр. 31

In a country like Afghanistan, where aid is sometimes not sufficiently coordinated, the EU aims at improving synergies also in the civilian policing sector. The EU is therefore an active member in the International Police Coordination Board (IPCB) and EUPOL is currently responsible for staffing its secretariat. The IPCB is the primary instrument for coordinating international support to police training and reform of the Ministry of Interior.

In November 2012, EUPOL Head of Mission Karl Ǻke Rohge and I invited the Ambassadors of Russia, China and India for a meeting on police training at EUPOL. The aim of the meeting was to provide a presentation of EUPOL's contribution to the development of ANP, to explain how the International Community's support is coordinated and to exchange information of respective contributions to police training. The participants presented their involvement in police training and outlined the opportunities and challenges they face.

Specialised training on issues such as criminal investigations, forensic science and leadership training have been identified as elements of the training that is currently being delivered by Russia and India and constitutes the very core of EUPOL's mandate. It was also said that future dialogue between the European Union, Russia, China and India aimed at exchanging information, identifying lessons learned and looking at possible synergies will be important in order to avoid duplication of efforts and ensure the best use of the resources.

The EU supports Afghanistan at each step on the path to becoming a truly democratic state. Much progress has been made, but we recognise that Afghanistan needs to build on what has been achieved so far, deepening democratic culture across the country, increasing accountability to the Afghan people and strengthening its institutions.

The EU is supportive of inclusive and transparent elections with a legitimate outcome. This, in fact, is an enabling factor for peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan. Elections are a critical sign of the health of a democracy and the European Union is working with the government and other international partners to achieve credible and transparent Presidential elections in 2014 and Parliamentary elections in 2015. The EU provides constant political and technical support to the relevant Afghan authorities, supported during the actual elections by robust election assessment and observation missions. The EU is supporting the strengthening of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) as a respected, independent, credible and transparent institution.