Minister for Home Affairs closes an international exercise in Logroño, in which agents from 24 countries took part

2017.3.23

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The exercise was organised by the Guardia Civil's Rural Action Unit (Spanish acronym: UAR), in collaboration with the Portuguese National Republican Guard. This is the second time that the Guardia Civil has organised this international exercise, which forms part of the European Union Police Services Training (EUPST).

Taking part in EUPST II were 200 trainees belonging to 29 police forces. Of the 24 countries present, 13 are European (Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, France, Estonia, Germany, Holland, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Spain and the United Kingdom), as well as representatives from the European Gendarmerie Force (EUROGENDFOR). In addition, the Guardia Civil invited Algeria, Colombia, Morocco, Mauritania and Senegal; while for its part, the Portuguese National Republican Guard invited Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Sâo Tomé and Principe. The Spanish representatives in the exercise comprised a contingent of 16 members of the Guardia Civil and 12 members of the National Police.

The Minister for Home Affairs recalled in his speech that the aim of this international exercise is to "unify procedures and standardise capabilities to develop more successful civil and military crisis management missions that can be carried out under a European Union mandate". He stressed that "experience tells us that when we work together we are more effective; and the more of us that join this task, the better it will be for all".

Juan Ignacio Zoido thanked all the police taking part for their presence at the exercise, while highlighting that "involving so many and such diverse countries, organisations and institutions for two weeks has been rewarded by a professional enrichment demonstrated in the impressive live exercise you have organised... We are today a little stronger in the face of current threats," he noted.

Also attending the close of the Training in Civil Crisis Management Exercise (EUPST II) were the President of Regional Government of La Rioja, José Ignacio Ceniceros; the Speaker of the La Rioja Regional Parliament, Lourdes Gonzáles García; the Government Delegate to La Rioja, Alberto Bretón; and the Mayor of Logroño, Concepción Gamarra, among other civil and military dignitaries. International representatives were also present from the countries taking part in the exercise and from the European EUPST Project.

EUPST II International Exercise

The practical part of the EUPST II exercise simulated the deployment of an international contingent under the European Union umbrella in an imaginary country called Lucron II, which is returning to normal after the end of a period of armed conflict.

This has led to a series of incidents that are common in these kinds of conflicts and that the international contingent had to resolve. These incidents are related to the theoretical classes given during the two weeks that the exercise lasted.

The EUPST II training was above all practical, and implemented with training workshops and practical incident-resolution exercises.

The EUPST Project: European Union Police Services Training

The EUPST (European Union Police Services Training) forms part of a wide-ranging European Union project for uniform training of European police services, as well as the standardisation and integration of techniques, methods and procedures to create a common system for action. The project is co-financed by the European Commission, with the aim of training European police services for deployment in crisis situations.

The Spanish Guardia Civil participated in the first EUPST in 2012 and 2013, when there were four exercises with 150 trainees in each, training a total of 600 European police officers.

EUPST II carried out two exercises like the one described. The first was held in the Netherlands in April 2016, with a live exercise taking place at the military base in Weeze (Germany), with 207 police officers taking part. The second was led by Italy in September 2016, with a live exercise at the headquarters of the Centre of Excellence for the stability of Police Units (COESPU) in Vicenza, Italy, attended by 200 members of the security forces from 23 countries.