Antti Hartikainen appointed Head of Mission for EUAM Ukraine

On 4 June 2019, the Council of the European Union appointed Antti Hartikainen, Colonel (ret.) at the Finnish Border Guard, to serve as Head of Mission for the European Union Advisory Mission for Civilian Security Sector Reform in Ukraine (EUAM Ukraine).

Founded in 2014, the European Union Advisory Mission for Civilian Security Sector Reform in Ukraine (EUAM) supports Ukrainian state agencies in the reform of the civilian security sector. In accordance with its mandate, EUAM supports Ukrainian institutions responsible for law enforcement and the rule of law (including the police, the judicial sector, the National Guard, prison authorities, the judiciary and the prosecutor's office) by providing advice and training.  The aim is to ensure an efficient civilian security sector, which complies with the principles of good governance and respects human rights, and which enjoys popular confidence.

A total of 133 experts from around 25 countries and approximately 150 local staff are employed in the mission.  Of the experts, eight are Finns, representing different administrative branches. EUAM has its headquarters in Kyiv and regional presence in Odessa, Kharkiv and Lviv.

The candidacy and appointment of Antti Hartikainen reflect Finland’s consistent policy aiming at the stabilisation of the situation in Ukraine. Hartikainen has extensive experience of international positions and crisis management. Previously, he has worked, for example as Head of the EU Border Assistance Mission in Libya (EUBAM Libya) and as Deputy Head of of the EU Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM). In Finland, Hartikainen has served for a long time at the Finnish Border Guard and most recently as Director General of the Finnish Customs.

Inquiries: Sari Rautio, Director of the Unit for Security Policy and Crisis Management, tel. +358 295 351 534, and Antti Hartikainen, tel. +358 45 185 5590.

The Foreign Ministry’s email addresses are in the format [email protected].