Press Releases

December 3, 2007

Germany triples funds for police reconstruction in Afghanistan

Kabul: Start of a new class for Police Academy trainees, ©Federal Foreign Office

Federal Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier issued the following statement in Berlin today (30 November) following the adoption of the federal budget for 2008:

"I am very pleased that the German Bundestag has, by adopting the federal budget, acted on our suggestion of tripling Germany's contribution to police building in Afghanistan.

This underscores our determination to work towards the goal of self-sustaining security in Afghanistan. Only if we put the Afghan police in a position to maintain law and order themselves, will the successes of civilian reconstruction become tangible for Afghans across the country.

Our recent substantial increase in funds for civilian reconstruction visibly marked a shift in focus. And by providing unwavering support for the reforms in the security sector, we are ensuring the conditions are in place for this policy to have the desired effect."

The creation of a functioning Afghan security sector is one of the priorities of the German Government, the EU and the international community in Afghanistan. A functioning and reliable Afghan police force that can maintain security is absolutely vital for reconstruction.

Germany has to date provided 12 million euro per year for police development in Afghanistan. A total of 35.7 million euro has now been earmarked to this end in the 2008 federal budget. This brings the overall sum provided by the German Government for police development since 2002 to 117.7 million euro.

Assisting the Afghan Government in building up the police is a shared international task.

The German Government will deploy these funds to support the work of the European Police Mission (EUPOL) in Afghanistan, and will coordinate its contributions closely with Jürgen Scholz, the German national leading the mission. The prime goals are to enhance the operative capabilities of the Afghan police and to ensure that adequate wages are paid to members of the force.

The EUPOL mission has initially been designed to run for up to three years. It is due to reach its full strength of some 200 police officers and experts in March 2008. Germany will provide up to 60 experts for the mission. 17 EU states and partner countries are currently contributing to the mission.

The German Government had already stated its intention to significantly increase its financial contribution for civilian reconstruction in its updated Afghanistan Policy Paper for the year 2008. Following today's vote, a total of 140.7 million euro is now available for this purpose. This means that Germany will have provided more than 900 million euro for civilian reconstruction in Afghanistan over the period 2002 to 2010.

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