EU Council extends Rafah border mission mandate until June 2027

The Council of the European Union has extended the mandate of the European Union Border Assistance Mission for the Rafah Crossing Point (EU BAM Rafah) until 30 June 2027, by Council Decision (CFSP) 2026/2190 of 28 September 2026. The decision, published in the Official Journal of the European Union (L series) of 29 September 2026, amends Joint Action 2005/889/CFSP and earmarks EUR 10 282 125,00 for the mission between 1 October 2026 and 30 June 2027. It applies from 1 October 2026, the day after the previous three-month extension lapsed.

The Council adopted the decision under Articles 42(4) and 43(2) of the Treaty on European Union, on a proposal from the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. It follows the agreement reached by the Political and Security Committee (PSC) on 30 April 2025, in the coordinated Strategic Review of EU BAM Rafah and the European Union Police Mission for the Palestinian Territories (EUPOL COPPS), that the mandate of both missions be extended until 30 June 2027.

The preamble anchors the extension in the European Council conclusions of 19 March 2026, which reaffirmed the Union’s commitment to international law and to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution. The Union reiterated its readiness to work on the implementation of the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2803, calling for full implementation of the ceasefire and all other provisions of that resolution by all parties.

A nine-month extension after a three-month stopgap

The mission had been kept alive by Council Decision (CFSP) 2026/1467 of 29 June 2026, which extended EU BAM Rafah by three months until 30 September 2026. The new decision states that, taking into account information provided by Israel and by the Palestinian Authority, the mission should now be extended by nine months. Article 1 replaces the second paragraph of Article 16 of Joint Action 2005/889/CFSP with the sentence: “It shall expire on 30 June 2027.” The decision entered into force on the date of its adoption and applies from 1 October 2026.

Budget and a parallel mission

• Financial reference amount for EU BAM Rafah: EUR 10 282 125,00 for the period from 1 October 2026 until 30 June 2027, added to Article 13(1) of Joint Action 2005/889/CFSP.
• Companion Council Decision (CFSP) 2026/2198, also of 28 September 2026, extends EUPOL COPPS to 30 June 2027 with a reference amount of EUR 13 073 635,90.
• Both texts cite the same 30 April 2025 PSC review and the 19 March 2026 European Council conclusions.
• Both were signed in Brussels on 28 September 2026 for the Council by its President, M. HEYDON.

Head of mission mandate runs to 31 October

Separately, Political and Security Committee Decision (CFSP) 2026/2157 of 22 September 2026 extended the mandate of Nataliya APOSTOLOVA as Head of Mission of EU BAM Rafah from 1 October 2026 to 31 October 2026. She was first appointed by Decision (CFSP) 2023/2443 of 25 October 2023. That PSC decision applied subject to the adoption of a Council decision extending the validity of Joint Action 2005/889/CFSP beyond 30 September 2026, a condition now met by Decision (CFSP) 2026/2190.

The extension keeps EU personnel deployed at the Rafah crossing point through the first half of 2027 and ties the mission’s funding to the ceasefire framework set out in UNSCR 2803. For readers following the Gaza file, it confirms that the EU’s two civilian missions in the Palestinian Territories, EU BAM Rafah and EUPOL COPPS, now share a single expiry date of 30 June 2027 and a combined budget of more than EUR 23 million for the next nine months.

Source: Official Journal of the European Union (L series), No 2026/2190, 29 September 2026, section I, p. 1 (official reference: Council Decision (CFSP) 2026/2190).