Press Releases

The Presidium met with high-level experts at its Spring meeting in Berlin 17-18 May to advance European soldiers’ professional and social interests.

Official opening

The President of EUROMIL, Emmanuel Jacob demanded that all European soldiers shall benefit from a high standard of operational welfare and solid support programmes. Some nations are more advanced than others when it comes to the provision of adequate support schemes before, during and after the mission for soldiers. Every nation has weak spots which need to be improved to provide a sufficient level of operational welfare, medical care and post-mission support. Nations and defence forces can and should learn from each other, Mr. Jacob said.

If military associations and trade unions want to efficiently improve the working conditions of their members in an increasingly internationalized environment then this can only be achieved through working together across national borders and through cooperation within EUROMIL.

The Parliamentary State Secretary for Defence Christian Schmidt particularly emphasized in his speech that the changing nature of military missions into warlike battles does inevitably change the professional role of the soldier. Today’s soldier is no longer merely a  weapons expert but he has furthermore to act as a mediator and aid worker and this in fast-changing security situations. In times of global threats and asymmetric warfare the modern soldier more than ever needs an ethic compass, secure moral judgment and intercultural awareness. These new challenges have to be taken into account into the recruitment processes of the armed forces, stated Mr Schmidt. He added that leadership cultures in the military have to be adapted accordingly. Germany is willing to share hereby its concept of the Citizen in Uniform. Also the framework conditions of soldiers have to be adapted with an emphasis on integrating the soldiers’ families into support schemes to better counter health and safety risks and to prevent soldiers from physical and psychological harm. A well-functioning soldiers’ interest representation plays a strategic role in raising awareness for these concerns, according to the Parliamentary State Secretary for Defence.

Mr. Reinhold Robbe, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces in Germany introduced the uniqueness of his professional function working exclusively for the benefit of the social condition of the German soldier.
The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces is elected by the Members of the Bundestag in a secret ballot for a five-year term of office. The Commissioner is neither a Member of the Bundestag nor a civil servant - he occupies a special position.
The Commissioner works “to safeguard basic rights and to assist the Bundestag in exercising parliamentary control” over the armed forces, a task enshrined in the German Constitution.

Lt. Col. Ulrich Kirsch, elected chairman of the Federal Armed Forces Federation presented the manifold successes which the German Federal Armed Forces Association achieved during the last years for the benefit of the soldiers who  risk life and limb during their missions:

* the German Parliament, the Bundestag passed the so-called “Einsatzweiterverwendungsgesetz“, a law entitling soldiers wounded in action to continue their careers as soldiers.
* improvements in the legal security of soldiers: All soldiers on a mission may apply for a loan to cover the cost of legal defence as soon as they become the subject of an investigation. Soldiers may furthermore not be questioned without a the presence of a lawyer. Soldiers on a mission are in addition given a list of specialist lawyers who can be contacted if soldiers become the subject of preliminary proceedings.
* the Deutsche BundeswehrVerband was the driving force behind a multi-partisan motion put forward in the German Bundestag that sought the provision of care for those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The motion was passed by the Lower House a few weeks ago. The nine points finalised in the motion reflect precisely the demands which the Deutsche BundeswehrVerband has raised over the last few years.

Given current developments of missions abroad, he emphasized that it is imperative for military personnel to have a strong body of representation both nationally and internationally.

Workshop Discussions:

- Common Rules of Engagement in Common Military Missions?

On Friday 17 April EUROMIL delegates discussed in the presence of high-level experts, rules of engagement (RoE) that govern the circumstances and limitations under which armed forces will initiate and/or continue combat engagement with encountered forces.

EUROMIL supports the establishment of common rules for common missions and the reduction of national caveats. With this in mind, the workshop addressed the topic “Common Rules of Engagement in Common Military Missions”.

Mr. Diego Ruiz Palmer, NATO, Head of Planning, Operations Division introduced the panel discussion by arguing not to draw conclusions too early about different operations. NATO operates under the necessity of consensus-building between its members and thus rules of engagement are by nature “common”, he said. He also pointed to the fact that the question of burden-sharing between nations is vital since national caveats have important operational consequences during missions abroad.

Mr. Ioan Pascu, Member of the European Parliament, Chairman of the Committee for Foreign Affairs and former Minister for Defence of Romania, stated that national caveats are difficult to drop even in the long run. They reflect the acceptance of risk, the historic experience, the national political intentions as well as “public opinion”. The most important issue is to have a clearly defined mandate for the mission.

Major General Christian Houdet, General Secretary of the High Council of Reservists (France), former commander of UN-peace-keeping mission in DR Congo (MONUC) stated that multinational, more integrated and more robust missions will become the norm in the future. He criticized the lack of cooperation between the different operational planners of the UN and EU mission in Congo, as well as the lack of cooperation with humanitarian aid organisations.
The interpretation of RoE should be in the hands of the commander and only undeclared caveats should pose real problems, according to Major General Houdet. He said that caveats should be adjusted to changes in the military operation/scenario and that force commanders should actually not accept caveats if they undermine the ability to operate effectively. He said that other nations feel that EU soldiers hide behind caveats. But European forces are still in a learning process.

Mr. Gert-Jan van Hegelsom, legal advisor of the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union and former Head of the Legal Affairs Department of the Dutch Ministry of Defence explained the process of adoption of rules of engagement for EU specific-missions. It is in the responsibility of EU member states to elaborate clear rules so that commanders can ensure that soldiers on the ground are able to perform their duties. EU contingents are national and the European Union Military Staff is only associated to the operational planning of EU missions. This implies that if problems arise because of caveats then this not only a national responsibility but it is also the responsibility of the chain of command to communicate deficits upwards.

Lt.Col. Andreas Henne, Officer for Security and Defence of the Parliamentary Working Group of the Christian Democrat faction (CDU/CSU) said that the German Parliament has learned from the lessons in Kosovo and has reduced caveats to make soldiers secure in their action and officers more free in their decisions. But the German Armed Forces is a Parliamentary army, where decisions are based on compromise which might sometimes lead to caveats. The Parliament does not deal with Rules of Engagement, but with the general mandate of the mission.

- How can International Human Rights be used to advance the right of association for soldiers?

On Saturday, 18 April, a second workshop on  “How can International Human Rights be used to advance the right of association for soldiers?” discussed the lack of freedom to join independent professional bodies and trade unions for military personnel, which still persists in several European countries.

Prof. Ian Leigh, Director of the Durham University Human Rights Centre and co-author of the OSCE-ODHIR Handbook on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of Armed Forces Personnel pointed to positive developments in the field of fundamental freedoms for military personnel, in particular to a stricter interpretation of legitimate restrictions to the right of association for military personnel. He emphasized that legitimate restrictions have always to proportionate to the aim pursued and may not impair the very essence of the fundamental right itself. This has been underlined by a judgment of the European Court of Human Rights from November 2008.

Prof. Dr. Pommerin, Professor of Modern History at the University of Dresden, Chairman of the Advisory Board on Leadership and Civic Education of the German Minister of Defence, pointed to the development of the right of association for soldiers in Germany and the concept of the “Staatsbürger in Uniform”- the Citizen in Uniform. He clearly underlined that the Bundeswehr, the German Armed Forces were never endangered in any way by the existence of an independent association for soldiers and there has never been a loss of military effectiveness due to the work of staff associations.
Jacques Bessy, Senior Vice-President of the French association Adefdromil presented the report on human rights in the French armed forces with collected case examples in the period from 2005 to 2008.

Progress and Challenges in the Mediterranean area

Two military associations from Cyprus and Greece presented themselves in Berlin to the delegates of Europe’s military associations:

The Cypriot Army Officers’ Association (CAOA) was formed last year and is currently establishing itself. The Cypriot military associations are positively recognized by the government as the representative for the professional and social interests of Cypriot military personnel.

An official recognition of association rights is still denied to Greek servicemen and –women. The Greek military association SYSMED is currently at court to obtain the legitimate right of association for Greek military personnel. It is deplorable that still in 2009 citizens in uniform have to resort to legal means to obtain fundamental freedoms.

Joining the European Trade Union Confederation- the way ahead?

A separate agenda point was dedicated to discuss the cooperation between EUROMIL and the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC). The two organisations have a co-operation agreement since 1998.

Mr. Jan Velleman, Head of Office and Press Officer of EUROCOP, the European Confederation of Police, presented the experiences of EUROCOP as the representative of the police workers within the  European Trade Union Confederation as so-called “industry federation” since 2005.

Jan Velleman's excellent presentation introduced a first exchange of views among the member associations whether EUROMIL’s way ahead lies in becoming the official representative of European servicemen and –women in the European Trade Union Confederation. The discussion will be continued in future meetings.

30 military associations and trade unions from 21 nations sent more than 100 delegates and experts to the EUROMIL Congress. The Congress is the supreme authority of the European Organization of Military Associations.

The official opening of the Congress welcomed high-ranking dignitaries from NATO, the EU-institutions, the European Trade Union Confederation and the host nation, Belgium who all expressed their support towards EUROMIL’s work activities. This not only by their presence but also by giving food for thought on a variety of social issues which are of particular concern to the European soldier today.

The President of the European Parliament Dr. Pöttering suggested in his opening speech an intermediary stage between the current reality of autonomous national armed forces and a distant common European army. Mr. Pöttering called it SAFE, Synchronised Armed Forces Europe, based on an opt-in solution where voluntary member states create joint capabilities. SAFE would include the definition of social norms and common rules of engagement for European troops. Mr. Pöttering reminded that, only if the levels of training, rules of engagement and degrees of operational freedom are comparable that European soldiers will be able to rely on one another fully. He proposed therefore a common statute that addresses such issues as duties and rights, rules of engagement and social standards, as well as equipment quality, medical care and social security arrangements in the event of death, injury or incapacity.

The General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation John Monks stressed the problems of equipment encountered in Afghanistan and the medical problems of former military once they have returned to civilian life, as well as the fact that social costs of soldiers are covered to very different degrees depending on the countries from where the different national contingents come. He welcomed the work of representation done by the military, and said “we do not hear that voice hard enough” and that it is not sufficiently taken into consideration. Giving ETUC’s support to EUROMIL he called for a “new deal” for armed forces in Europe.

Ambassador Janez Lenarcic, head of the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODHIR) stressed in his speech the need to limit the restrictions placed on soldiers’ rights to a maximum. Such restrictions must be proportionate and non-discriminatory evoking in particular voting rights and rights of association. Restrictions on human rights and fundamental freedoms should in general be met with suspicion.

General Egon Ramms, commander of NATO’s Joint Force Command Brunssum, reminded in his speech among others that all operations will in future be multinational. He hoped that minimum social norms for these would be gradually set in place. General Ramms added that the strain put on soldiers and in particular their close family because of multiple deployments abroad is an issue to be taken seriously. Family support is therefore an important element for the working conditions of soldiers.  The increase of multinational expeditionary missions necessitates an adaptation within the armed forces, so that the soldier is better equipped to work under the changing circumstances. He proposed to harmonize national policy, doctrine and standing operating procedures to common standards with the aim of more interoperability.

Belgium’s Defence Minister Pieter de Crem reminded at the EUROMIL Congress that defence forces should in general not expect an increase in funding. Among the challenges that will have to be faced by defence forces are thus the increasing costs of technology, the fact that Europe is lagging behind research and technology, and also recruitment and training. He emphasised that soldiers need to be well-equipped and in particular mentally prepared for more demanding international missions. High-tech equipment, solid language skills and cultural understanding should therefore be a vital part of training. Priority for him is also to attract highly-skilled staff into the defence forces and that defence shouldn’t loose the “war for talent”.

Different workshops were furthermore organized during the Congress to discuss specific concerns that European soldiers have.

The first workshop with the participation of Mr. Robert-Jan Uhl from the OSCE-ODIHR focused on fundamental freedoms and human rights of European soldiers. The participants voiced their particular concern over the lack of association and union rights within some European armed forces. Restrictions in this area are not comprehensible as several European states have very positive experiences with military trade unions and independent representative associations.
A special workshop was dedicated to the issue of reintegration of soldiers after a possibly traumatizing service in military missions.

The workshop with the title “Coming Home - Reintegration after service in out-of-area-operations” was opened by Mark Sandmann, a trauma psychologist and combat veteran of the 101st Airborne Division, from California, USA. Mr Sandmann described the challenges US-soldiers face when they return home. He promoted a peer-support-programme to alleviate these challenges. Veterans and soldiers have specific issues not comprehended by their fellow citizen who have not served in difficult military missions.  Peer-support-programmes are thus invaluable in empowering veterans to take control of their lives and to help them to adapt again to life back home.

The presentation was followed by a question and answer session with an expert panel, comprising of Colonel Mark Cuthbert-Brown, a combat veteran and active garrison commander (UK); Mrs. Wendy Faux a retired UK Army Major specialised in the area of family support; Mr. Gielt Algra, a political scientist from the Dutch Veterans Institute and Mr. Flemming Vinther, chairman of the Danish military trade union HKKF, addressing a wide range of issues such as: veterans' difficulty to communicate with their relatives, the problems of children with a parent on a military mission, the taboo of seeking help in military forces; post-service employment and the challenges of peer-support-programmes.

The discussion ended with the audience and expert panel agreeing that a high percentage of veterans are actively in favour of peer-support-programmes but that they not only seek a place where they can overcome their difficulties but also share positive experiences from their time on a mission.

The Workshop was concluded with the remark of the EUROMIL President Mr. Emmanuel Jacob that politicians and military leaders should recognize that military unions and representative associations are promoting the well-being of the soldiers and their families for more effective armed forces. Thus, governments should see military unions as valuable partners.

The EUROMIL Congress meets once every four years. The Congress elects the members of the Board. It decides on the policy guidelines and has responsibility for all fundamental questions relating to the organization.

The previous conference took place in Budapest in 2004.

The positive atmosphere of the EUROMIL Congress can be relived in the photographs which can be seen and downloaded at the Gallery section of this EUROMIL website (www.euromil.org).

For further information please contact the EUROMIL office, tel.: +32-2-626 06 80 or mail to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
We are happy to answer any questions.

30 military associations and trade unions from 21 nations sent more than 100 delegates and experts to the EUROMIL Congress. The Congress is the supreme authority of the European Organization of Military Associations.

The official opening of the Congress welcomed high-ranking dignitaries from NATO, the EU-institutions, the European Trade Union Confederation and the host nation, Belgium who all expressed their support towards EUROMIL’s work activities. This not only by their presence but also by giving food for thought on a variety of social issues which are of particular concern to the European soldier today.

The President of the European Parliament Dr. Pöttering suggested in his opening speech an intermediary stage between the current reality of autonomous national armed forces and a distant common European army. Mr. Pöttering called it SAFE, Synchronised Armed Forces Europe, based on an opt-in solution where voluntary member states create joint capabilities. SAFE would include the definition of social norms and common rules of engagement for European troops. Mr. Pöttering reminded that, only if the levels of training, rules of engagement and degrees of operational freedom are comparable that European soldiers will be able to rely on one another fully. He proposed therefore a common statute that addresses such issues as duties and rights, rules of engagement and social standards, as well as equipment quality, medical care and social security arrangements in the event of death, injury or incapacity.

The General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation John Monks stressed the problems of equipment encountered in Afghanistan and the medical problems of former military once they have returned to civilian life, as well as the fact that social costs of soldiers are covered to very different degrees depending on the countries from where the different national contingents come. He welcomed the work of representation done by the military, and said “we do not hear that voice hard enough” and that it is not sufficiently taken into consideration. Giving ETUC’s support to EUROMIL he called for a “new deal” for armed forces in Europe.

Ambassador Janez Lenarcic, head of the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODHIR) stressed in his speech the need to limit the restrictions placed on soldiers’ rights to a maximum. Such restrictions must be proportionate and non-discriminatory evoking in particular voting rights and rights of association. Restrictions on human rights and fundamental freedoms should in general be met with suspicion.

General Egon Ramms, commander of NATO’s Joint Force Command Brunssum, reminded in his speech among others that all operations will in future be multinational. He hoped that minimum social norms for these would be gradually set in place. General Ramms added that the strain put on soldiers and in particular their close family because of multiple deployments abroad is an issue to be taken seriously. Family support is therefore an important element for the working conditions of soldiers.  The increase of multinational expeditionary missions necessitates an adaptation within the armed forces, so that the soldier is better equipped to work under the changing circumstances. He proposed to harmonize national policy, doctrine and standing operating procedures to common standards with the aim of more interoperability.

Belgium’s Defence Minister Pieter de Crem reminded at the EUROMIL Congress that defence forces should in general not expect an increase in funding. Among the challenges that will have to be faced by defence forces are thus the increasing costs of technology, the fact that Europe is lagging behind research and technology, and also recruitment and training. He emphasised that soldiers need to be well-equipped and in particular mentally prepared for more demanding international missions. High-tech equipment, solid language skills and cultural understanding should therefore be a vital part of training. Priority for him is also to attract highly-skilled staff into the defence forces and that defence shouldn’t loose the “war for talent”.

Different workshops were furthermore organized during the Congress to discuss specific concerns that European soldiers have.

The first workshop with the participation of Mr. Robert-Jan Uhl from the OSCE-ODIHR focused on fundamental freedoms and human rights of European soldiers. The participants voiced their particular concern over the lack of association and union rights within some European armed forces. Restrictions in this area are not comprehensible as several European states have very positive experiences with military trade unions and independent representative associations.

A special workshop was dedicated to the issue of reintegration of soldiers after a possibly traumatizing service in military missions.

The workshop with the title “Coming Home - Reintegration after service in out-of-area-operations” was opened by Mark Sandmann, a trauma psychologist and combat veteran of the 101st Airborne Division, from California, USA. Mr Sandmann described the challenges US-soldiers face when they return home. He promoted a peer-support-programme to alleviate these challenges. Veterans and soldiers have specific issues not comprehended by their fellow citizen who have not served in difficult military missions.  Peer-support-programmes are thus invaluable in empowering veterans to take control of their lives and to help them to adapt again to life back home.

The presentation was followed by a question and answer session with an expert panel, comprising of Colonel Mark Cuthbert-Brown, a combat veteran and active garrison commander (UK); Mrs. Wendy Faux a retired UK Army Major specialised in the area of family support; Mr. Gielt Algra, a political scientist from the Dutch Veterans Institute and Mr. Flemming Vinther, chairman of the Danish military trade union HKKF, addressing a wide range of issues such as: veterans' difficulty to communicate with their relatives, the problems of children with a parent on a military mission, the taboo of seeking help in military forces; post-service employment and the challenges of peer-support-programmes.

The discussion ended with the audience and expert panel agreeing that a high percentage of veterans are actively in favour of peer-support-programmes but that they not only seek a place where they can overcome their difficulties but also share positive experiences from their time on a mission.

The Workshop was concluded with the remark of the EUROMIL President Mr. Emmanuel Jacob that politicians and military leaders should recognize that military unions and representative associations are promoting the well-being of the soldiers and their families for more effective armed forces. Thus, governments should see military unions as valuable partners.

The EUROMIL Congress meets once every four years. The Congress elects the members of the Board. It decides on the policy guidelines and has responsibility for all fundamental questions relating to the organization.

The previous conference took place in Budapest in 2004.

The positive atmosphere of the EUROMIL Congress can be relived in the photographs which can be seen and downloaded at the Gallery section of this EUROMIL website (www.euromil.org).

For further information please contact the EUROMIL office, tel.: +32-2-626 06 80 or mail to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
We are happy to answer any questions.

The 3rd Congress of the European Organisation of the Military Association will gather 12-15 November 2008 in Brussels.

35 associations from over 20 nations are expected. The official opening will welcome high-ranking dignitaries from NATO, the EU-institutions, the European Trade Union Conferedation and the Belgium Defence Ministry.

The Congress is the supreme authority of the European Organization of Military Associations.

European soldiers discuss wages of international crisis-management missions in Madrid

EUROMIL Presidium meeting 24-26 April 2008

The delegates from the staff associations and military trade unions from 20 countries will meet in Madrid at the Spring meeting of EUROMIL to discuss and compare salary structures in current international military missions. There are significant differences in the salary levels even though soldiers of different countries might carry out the same duties in common international operations. Salaries and social issues are decided on national level. The experts of 25 participating member associations of EUROMIL will exchange experiences and identify cases of best practice.

The Spring meeting of EUROMIL will be hosted by AUME, the Associacion Unificada de Militares Espanoles. Professional soldiers in Spain are still fighting for the recognition of their right to organise. The European comrades show solidarity with their Spanish colleagues by organizing their spring meeting in Spain. EUROMIL holds its Presidium meeting for the second time in Spain.

The Presidium meeting 27-27 April 2002 was hosted by AMARTE, the Asociacion de Militares en Activo y Reserva/retirado de los Tres Ejercitos.

The EUROMILPresidium meets twice a year and provides the impetus for the further development of EUROMIL policies.

For further information please contact Mikko Harjulehto, Secretary-General, +32-2-626 06 80, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it