(1)

On 24 July 2008, the Council adopted Joint Action 2008/612/CFSP (1) appointing Mr Ettore F. SEQUI European Union Special Representative (EUSR) in Afghanistan until 28 February 2009.

(2)

On the basis of a review of Joint Action 2008/612/CFSP, the mandate of the EUSR should be extended for a 12-month period.

(3)

The EUSR will implement his mandate in the context of a situation which may deteriorate and could harm the Common Foreign and Security Policy objectives set out in Article 11 of the Treaty,

(a)

contribute to the implementation of the EU-Afghanistan Joint Declaration and the Afghanistan Compact as well as the relevant United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolutions and other relevant UN Resolutions;

(b)

encourage positive contributions from regional actors in Afghanistan and from neighbouring countries to the peace process in Afghanistan and thereby contribute to the consolidation of the Afghan State;

(c)

support the pivotal role played by the UN, notably the Special Representative of the Secretary-General; and

(d)

support work of the Secretary-General/High Representative (SG/HR) in the region.

(a)

convey the European Union’s views on the political process while drawing on the key principles agreed between Afghanistan and the international community, in particular the EU-Afghanistan Joint Declaration and the Afghanistan Compact;

(b)

establish and maintain close contact with, and give support to, the Afghan representative institutions, in particular the Government and Parliament. Contact should also be maintained with other Afghan political figures and other relevant actors inside as well as outside the country;

(c)

maintain close contact with relevant international and regional organisations, notably with the local representatives of the UN;

(d)

stay in close contact with neighbouring and other interested countries in the region, so that their views on the situation in Afghanistan and the development of cooperation between these countries and Afghanistan are taken into account in European Union policy;

(e)

advise on the progress achieved in meeting the objectives of the EU-Afghanistan Joint Declaration and the Afghanistan Compact, in particular in the following areas:

(f)

in consultation with representatives of Member States and of the Commission, assist in ensuring that the European Union’s political approach is reflected in its action for the development of Afghanistan;

(g)

jointly with the Commission, actively participate in the Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board established under the Afghanistan Compact;

(h)

advise on the participation and the positions of the European Union in international conferences on Afghanistan.

(a)

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

(b)

ensuring that all personnel deployed outside the EU are covered by high risk insurance as required by the conditions in the mission area;

(c)

ensuring that all members of his team to be deployed outside the EU, including locally contracted personnel, have received appropriate security training before or upon arriving in the mission area, based on the risk ratings assigned to the mission area by the General Secretariat of the Council;

(d)

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