During the only half hour slot Gregory Vinot manages to find in his busy agenda to talk about himself as the newly appointed Head of Operations (HoOPS) at EUPOL COPPS, a clear core message comes through straightforwardly: “I am here because this fits my personal values as European and as French citizen”.

Born in the 70s, in Radolzell in Germany, Gregory cultivated a passion for history and philosophy since his teenager’ years. His schoolteachers bet he would join their club, but growing into a young man, instead of deepening his knowledge of history through books, Gregory opted for “playing a part in the making of it”. This, says Gregory, drove his decision to serve his country and the EU as a Gendarmerie officer deployed in various capacities to places like Bosnia (2001-02 and 2021), Afghanistan (2018-20) and Palestine (2025-present).

“If we are at peace in Europe is certainly due to the existence of the EU, which brings us, citizen fighting each other not that long ago in World War II, close together”, the French Gendarme explains.

Experiencing firsthand some major crises pushed even more Gregory to focus on peace and security in his work choices. During 9/11 he was engaging in bilateral assignments with US colleagues, and in 2014 as Head of the Gendarmerie in Nice he had to deal with terror attacks on the Riviera city.

EUPOL COPPS is for Gregory the ultimate example of his commitment to be “on the right side of history”. The EU approach to the “Two States Solution” between Israel and Palestine matches Gregory’s beliefs. Additionally, EUPOL COPPS can be a game changer to make the life of Palestinians better, says the HoOPS. “Organised crime worldwide use borders for all kind of atrocities, from human trafficking to weapons smuggling, because they know that coordination among security institutions inspired by legality is complex, unlike breaking the rules”, explains Gregory, who now leads a team of EU officers engaging in Rule of Law and Security Sector reform files with their Palestinian colleagues on a daily (needs driven) bases, within the framework of the Mission’s mandate.

The HoOPS, married and father of two children in their twenties, says he is particularly grateful to his wife as she has done a lot more than him to guide his kids due to his Mission’s engagements oversea. “The say goes that behind a great man there is a great woman, and I totally subscribe to this, although with modesty when it comes to me”, says jokingly Gregory. On this subject he adds that he would like his daughter specialised in International Relations, war studies and EU institutions, to see him as a role model, “a father behind a great daughter”. Coming from the seaside, Gregory’s favorite dish is unsurprising fish. Although not as fresh as the one from the French riviera, he can have it delivered to the Ramallah office. This small treat, added to the daily video calls to his family in Europe and his parents in Tunisa, give Gregory working days a better taste of home away from home.