European Security and Defence Policy Service Medal (ESDP)

The European Union (EU) established this medal on 1 January 2003 to provide recognition to those who serve in EU-led crisis management operations.

Awarded to military and civilian personnel who have served 30 consecutive days either in the area of operations of a designated EU-led crisis management operations or in a EU HQ in designated positions in direct support of such operations.

The medal is always awarded with a bar to denote the mission for which it has been awarded.

The medal is circular, silver in colour, 35 mm in diameter and bears on the obverse the emblem of the EU, which consist of a circle of 12 stars. On the reverse appears on three lines, the Latin inscription “PRO PACE UNUM”.

The medal is attached to the ribbon by a ring, which passed through a small ball attached to the top of the medal.

The ribbon is 37 mm in width and is EU blue with a central 10 mm stripe of yellow gold for personnel serving in theatre, the central stripe being white for eligible HQ personnel.

The bars to the medal are of the slide-on type, silver coloured with a raised edge and bear the name of the operation for which it is awarded on a stippled background.

The Medal is always to be issued with a bar representing a particular mission:

• EUPM for service with the EU Police Mission in Bosnia from 1 January 2003. Six Canadian police officers have been awarded the medal with this bar, five from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and one from the Service de Police de la Communauté Urbaine de Montréal.
• ARTEMIS for service with the European military operation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) between 12 June and 1 September 2003. The CF sent 2 CC-130 Hercules with support staff in the summer of 2003 to assist this mission by providing airlift from Entebbe, Uganda to Bunia in the DRC under the Canadian operation name CARAVAN. 53 CF members have been awarded this bar.
• CONCORDIA for service with the EU military operation in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia between 31 March and 15 December 2003. The CF had one staff officer, LCol J.M.R. Moreau, in the mission which had the Canadian Operation name FUSION and four other officers in the HQ positions.
• PROXIMA for service with the European Union Police Mission in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia from 15 December 2003 (no Canadian recipient to date).
• ALTHEA for service with the European Union Force (EUFOR) in Bosnia-Herzegovina from 2 December 2004 to 31 May 2007. Op BOREAS was the CF contribution to this operation, approximately 70 CF members were awarded this bar every rotation.

The medal shall be worn in sequence prescribed in the Canadian Orders, Decorations and Medals Directive, and in the following manner:

on the left breast, suspended from the ribbon described above, between the INTERFET Medal and the Canadian Centennial Medal;

the bar is worn centred on the ribbon; and

where the undress ribbon is worn, a miniature version of the bar is centered on the ribbon.

The use of a post-nominal is not authorized for this medal.

The medal is accompanied by a certificate.