On 6-9 October, Stefano Tomat, the new Civilian Operations Commander for EU civilian CSDP missions and MD CPCC, travelled to Ukraine to re-open the Odessa field office of the EU Advisory Mission Ukraine (EUAM). During his visit Stefano Tomat  met  with mission personnel  in Mission Headquarters in Kiyv and in the Lviv  field offices. He also met with the Ukrainian Minister of the interior and Deputy Head of the National Police Ukraine. They discussed the current and future needs of Ukraine and explored possible future areas of engagement for the mission, in particular  capacity support at border crossings and looking to the mid-term perspective, the work to be done on registering and storage of small arms and light weapons (SALW) , against the backdrop of Ukraine’s new candidate status and the ongoing Russian war of aggression.

Stefano Tomat said "EUAM’s return to Odesa is a testament to the EU’s support and solidarity with Ukraine. The Mission stands ready to help strengthen Ukraine’s civilian security sector as part of the EU support for the reconstruction of Ukraine and its new status as an EU candidate country. EUAM makes a meaningful contribution to supporting Ukraine especially in this time of war. This important work will continue as long as necessary.”

Commander Tomat also met with the Prosecutor General to explore how the Mission can continue to support the reform of the OPG and the prosecution of war crimes. He conducted a field visit to Irpin and Bucha's cities and briefed EU Ambassadors.

EUAM Ukraine is the EU’s civilian CSDP Mission established to assist Ukrainian security sector reform through strategic advice and hands on support. The Mission also currently supports Ukrainian authorities with border management and investigation and prosecution of international crimes. The Mission has a planned strength of 197 international personnel.