IP/05/517 Brussels, 30 April 2005 Javier SOLANA and Louis MICHEL launch EUPOL and reiterate EU support for transition in the Democratic Republic of Congo Joint press release of the EU High Representative for the CFSP and the European Commission Javier SOLANA, EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), and Louis MICHEL, European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, have participated today, Saturday 30 April, in the inaugural ceremony of the European police mission EUPOL in Kinshasa and expressed to Congolese authorities the EU's support for an inclusive transition process. Javier Solana and Louis Michel met with the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Joseph Kabila, with Vice-Presidents Azarias Ruberwa, Jean-Pierre Bemba and Arthur Zahidi N'goma, as well as with the Chairmen of the Houses of Parliament and with Fr. Malu Malu, president of the Independent Electoral Commission. The European Union is providing by far the most important political and financial support to this process and would like to maintain this commitment until the end. It calls on the espace présidentiel, the transitional institutions and their representatives to continue without respite their engagement in view of the implementation of a transition agenda and of the strengthening of good governance. Free elections, based on a Constitution that reflects an equilibrium between democratic institutions, are the foremost objective of these efforts. The success of transition will be contingent upon the re-establishment of the essential functions of a democratic state based on the rule of law and, in this regard, security constitutes a key precondition. This is particularly urgent in the eastern part of DCR. Hence the EU's strong engagement in reforming the security sector in three areas: re-organising the police forces; demobilising and re-assigning armed groups; and incorporating and reforming the army. The European police mission EUPOL will support the creation of an Integrated Police Unit (IPU), financed by the European Commission through the European Development Fund (EDF) as well as by the CFSP budget and by EU Member States. the European Commission intends to finance, to the amount of €9 million, the strategic plan for ensuring police security services to the electoral process. EUPOL is the first civil mission for crisis management in Africa and is in line with the ESDP framework. Its implementation will be strengthened by the imminent launching of EUSEC, an advisory and assistance mission for security reform. The EU fully supports the activities of MONUC (United Nations Mission in DRC), especially through an annual contribution of US$400 million. MONUC plays a key role, in particular in the disarmament process. .