Paris, 22 June, 2006 – The WEU Assembly has called for the European Union and NATO to spread the word on the European Gendarmerie Force (EGF) that was set up by five EU countries and is due to start operating this year.
A report, entitled “The Role of the European Gendarmerie Force” and drawn up by the Defence Committee, said that member states should  “take steps to ensure they are fully aware of the establishment and work of the European Gendarmerie force and its potential for positive work in crisis-management operations.”
Presenting the report for Rapporteur Baroness Taylor of Bolton (United Kingdom, Socialist Group), Committee Chairman Robert Walter (United Kingdom, Federated Group), said the aim of the report was to raise awareness of the EGF without giving any specific instructions to member countries.
The report, adopted unanimously on Wednesday, said that gendarme deployment should be subject to oversight by national parliaments and the WEU Assembly and should introduce a system of rotation to place two integrated gendarmerie units (IGUs) on permanent standby for public order and other police missions.
The five countries – France, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal and Spain – set up the EGF or EUROGENDFOR on the Euroforce model and will make it available primarily to the EU. Other measures included a common system for command, control and communication for EGF operations, the report suggested.