(1)

On 22 July 2013, the Council adopted Decision 2013/393/CFSP (1) appointing Mr Franz-Michael SKJOLD MELLBIN as the European Union Special Representative (EUSR) in Afghanistan. The EUSR's mandate is to expire on 31 October 2015.

(2)

The mandate of the EUSR should be extended for a further period of 16 months.

(3)

The EUSR will implement the mandate in the context of a situation which may deteriorate and could impede the achievement of the objectives of the Union's external action as set out in Article 21 of the Treaty,

(a)

contribute to the implementation of the EU-Afghanistan Joint Declaration, the EU Strategy in Afghanistan 2014-2016 and, as appropriate, the EU-Afghan Cooperation Agreement on Partnership and Development (CAPD);

(b)

support Union-Afghanistan political dialogue;

(c)

support the pivotal role played by the United Nations (UN) in Afghanistan with particular emphasis on contributing to better coordinated international assistance, thereby promoting the implementation of the Bonn, Chicago, Tokyo and London Conference Communiqués, as well as relevant UN Resolutions.

(a)

promote the views of the Union on the political process and developments in Afghanistan;

(b)

maintain close contact with, and support the development of, relevant Afghan institutions, in particular the Government and the Parliament as well as the local authorities. Contact should also be maintained with other Afghan political groups and other relevant actors in Afghanistan, in particular relevant civil society actors;

(c)

maintain close contact with relevant international and regional stakeholders in Afghanistan, in particular the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the UN and the Senior Civilian Representative of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and other key partners and organisations;

(d)

advise on the progress achieved in meeting the objectives of the EU-Afghanistan Joint Declaration, of the EU Strategy in Afghanistan 2014-2016, the EU-Afghan Cooperation Agreement on Partnership and Development (CAPD) and of the Bonn, Chicago, Tokyo and London Conference Communiqués in particular in the following areas:

(e)

actively participate in local coordination fora such as the Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board, while keeping non-participating Member States fully informed of decisions taken at these levels;

(f)

advise on the participation and the positions of the Union in international conferences with regard to Afghanistan, and in particular on the next international Ministerial Conference on Afghanistan, to be co-hosted by the Union in Brussels, in close liaison with the Afghan authorities and the main international partners;

(g)

take an active role in promoting regional cooperation through relevant initiatives including the Istanbul Process and the Regional Economic Conference on Afghanistan (RECCA);

(h)

contribute to the implementation of the Union's human rights policy and the EU Guidelines on Human Rights, in particular with regard to women and children in conflict-affected areas, especially by monitoring and addressing developments in this regard;

(i)

provide, as appropriate, support to an inclusive and Afghan-led peace process leading to a political settlement consistent with the ‘red lines’ agreed at the Bonn Conference.

(a)

establishing a specific security plan based on guidance from the EEAS, including specific physical, organisational and procedural security measures, governing the management of the secure movement of personnel to, and within, the area of responsibility as well as the management of security incidents and including a contingency and evacuation plan;

(b)

ensuring that all personnel deployed outside the Union are covered by high-risk insurance, as required by the conditions in the area of responsibility;

(c)

ensuring that all members of the EUSR's team to be deployed outside the Union, including locally contracted personnel, have received appropriate security training before or upon arriving in the area of responsibility, based on the risk ratings assigned to that area by the EEAS;

(d)

ensuring that all agreed recommendations made following regular security assessments are implemented, and providing the Council, the HR and the Commission with written reports on their implementation and on other security issues within the framework of the progress and the mandate implementation reports.