Who is the new head of the EULEX mission and what has he had to do with the Balkans so far?

The new head of the EULEX mission in Kosovo and Metohija is Carabinieri Major General Giovanni Pietro Barbano, who in his rich career already had experience with the Balkan countries.

Italy’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, was the first to announce that Italy would take over the EU mission.

• Good news for Italy, because Carabinieri General Barbano has been appointed head of EULEX in Kosovo. This election shows the results that are achieved where there is teamwork – Tajani said, the Italian portal “Susidario” reported.

Barbano, a general of enviable education, was born in Mostar from September 1995 to March 1996. In this Bosnian city, the Italian general was the deputy chief of operations of the Western European Union Police Mission, according to the biography on the website of the Skills Center of the Police Stability Unit, of which he is the general director.

Bosnia and Herzegovina was again the subject of Barban’s activities in the period from 2007 to 2008, when he was appointed to the post of regimental commander of the Integrated Police Unit within the European Union Forces (EUFOR Althea). It was the first mission of EUROGENDFOR, that is, the European Gendarmerie Forces ever deployed.

These forces were deployed in BiH to monitor the military implementation of the Dayton Agreement.

Barbano was also the first Chief of Permanent Staff of EUROGENFOR, from 2005 to 2007.

In addition, Barbano held various command and staff positions, both in Italy and abroad. From 1984 until today, he was the commander of several platoons and companies of carabinieri in numerous Italian cities. He was also the head of the Department for Plans and Military Police within the Operational Office at the General Staff of the Carabinieri, where he was responsible for planning and coordinating the deployment of Carabinieri in peace operations conducted under the auspices of the UN, NATO, OSCE, the EU and other international organizations. . During this period, he was a member of the EU Committee for Civilian Aspects of Crisis Management (CIVCOM) and the Committee of NATO Deputies (SHAPE).

He also has experience in education – he was the chief of staff of the Carabinieri officer school in Rome, from 2011 to 2012, and then the director of the Institute for professional and military-legal studies of the same school, from 2013.

He has two degrees in political science and international and diplomatic science at the Universities of Siena and Trieste. He also holds a master’s degree in internal and external security studies at the Tor Vergata University in Rome. In addition, he holds a Master’s degree in International Military-Strategic Studies from the University of Milan and Strategic Sciences from the University of Turin. In 2016, he received his master’s degree in the field of global strategy and security at “La Sapienza” University in Rome.

His official biography states that he is the holder of various international and Italian awards. Barbano was awarded the Legion of Merit, rank of officer by the President of the USA in 2019, while last year he was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the “Ordine Militare d’Italia” by the President of Italy, which is the highest award in Italy.

He speaks English and Spanish fluently, and he is married to Roza Ana and has a daughter, Federika.

Italy already leads KFOR, the NATO mission in Kosovo and Metohija. It is headed by General Angelo Ristuća.

KFOR has been in Kosovo since the adoption of Resolution 1244 of the United Nations Security Council and the signing of the Kumanovo Agreement in 1999, while EULEX was established in 2008 as the largest civilian mission under the Common Security and Defense Policy of the European Union.

Barbano will replace Lars Gunnar Vigemark as head of the mission.