The EU launched a network for advisers and project managers working on environmental issues in Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) Mission on 16 March 2021. This network will share best practices on how to put environmental considerations more firmly at the heart of CSDP, including supporting partners such as Palestinian policing and criminal justice institutions to prevent and investigate environmental crime.

“There is a growing awareness of the importance of environmental issues, particularly in the context of the advice, mentoring and training delivered by CSDP Missions,” says Katja Dominik, Deputy Head of EUPOL COPPS,  who is part of the network. “Environmental crime doesn’t just affect the health and wellbeing of ordinary citizens and future generations. The most serious examples such as dumping of toxic waste are often linked to organised crime groups involved in multiple forms of criminality”.

The meeting provided an opportunity for EUPOL COPPS’ Environmental Adviser, Henrik Forssblad to brief the group about his work in the West Bank and the particular challenges faced by his Palestinian counterparts as well as the steps the Mission is taking to reduce its own environmental footprint.

The EU is committed to putting environmental considerations at the heart of its foreign policy, and is actively taking steps to strengthen the role of the environment in all projects and Missions under the umbrella of the European External Action Service.