Treaty

Agreement between the Member States of the European Union concerning the status of military and civilian staff seconded to the Institutions of the European Union, of the headquarters and forces which may be made available to the European Union in the context of the preparation and execution of the tasks referred to in Article 17(2) of the Treaty on the European Union, including exercises, and of the militairy and civilian staff of the Member States put at the disposal of the European Union to act in this context (EU SOFA)

PartiesParties with a link have a reservation.

Party Signature RatificationS=Signature without reservation or requirement of ratification R=Ratification, Acceptance, Approval or Notification A=Accession Su=Succession NK=Not Known Entry into force Renunciation Termination
Austria 17-11-2003 08-09-2004 (R) 01-04-2019
Belgium 17-11-2003 05-10-2006 (R) 01-04-2019
Bulgaria 01-01-2007 (A) 01-04-2019
Croatia 01-07-2013 (A) 01-04-2019
Cyprus 01-05-2004 (A) 01-04-2019
Czech Republic 01-05-2004 (A) 01-04-2019
Denmark 17-11-2003 20-12-2016 (R) 01-04-2019
Estonia 01-05-2004 (A) 01-04-2019
Finland 17-11-2003 08-07-2005 (R) 01-04-2019
France 17-11-2003 19-07-2005 (R) 01-04-2019
Germany 17-11-2003 09-06-2005 (R) 01-04-2019
Greece 17-11-2003 21-11-2006 (R) 01-04-2019
Hungary 01-05-2004 (A) 01-04-2019
Ireland 17-11-2003 22-02-2019 (R) 01-04-2019
Italy 17-11-2003 01-06-2010 (R) 01-04-2019
Latvia 01-05-2004 (A) 01-04-2019
Lithuania 01-05-2004 (A) 01-04-2019
Luxembourg 17-11-2003 24-05-2005 (R) 01-04-2019
Malta 01-05-2004 (A) 01-04-2019
Netherlands, the Kingdom of the 17-11-2003 15-04-2008 (R) 01-04-2019
Poland 01-05-2004 (A) 01-04-2019
Portugal 17-11-2003 23-06-2005 (R) 01-04-2019
Romania 01-01-2007 (A) 01-04-2019
Slovakia 01-05-2004 (A) 01-04-2019
Slovenia 01-05-2004 (A) 01-04-2019
Spain 17-11-2003 30-03-2007 (R) 01-04-2019
Sweden 17-11-2003 21-01-2005 (R) 01-04-2019
United Kingdom 17-11-2003 01-08-2013 (R) 01-04-2019

Extensions

France

Extended to Entry into force Termination
French Southern and Antarctic Territories 19-07-2005
New Caledonia 19-07-2005

Parties with reservations, declarations and objections

Party Reservations / Declarations Objections
Austria Yes No
Denmark Yes No
Finland Yes No
France Yes No
Hungary Yes No
Ireland Yes No
Sweden Yes No

Austria

08-09-2004

Statement regarding Article 17 The acceptance of the jurisdiction by military authorities of the sending state in accordance with Article 17 of the "Agreement between the Member States of the European Union concerning the status of military and civilian staff on secondment to the Military Staff of the European Union, of the headquarters and forces which may be made available to the European Union in the context of the preparation and execution of the tasks referred to in Article 17(2) of the Treaty on European Union, including exercises, and of the military and civilian staff of the Member States put at the disposal of the European Union to act in this context (EU SOFA)" by Austria does not apply to the exercise, on the territory of Austria, of jurisdiction by courts of a sending state.

Denmark

22-12-2016

Explanatory note: Upon approval of this Agreement, Denmark recalls Protocol 22 on the position of Denmark annexed to the Treaty of Lisbon according to which Denmark does not participate in the elaboration and the implementation of decisions and actions of the Union which have defence implications. It is noted that this Agreement shall respect Denmark's status under Protocol 22. This, inter alia, limits the scope of the possible agreements, referred to in Part III of this Agreement, that Denmark can undertake

Finland

08-07-2005

Explanatory note: Finland does not regard Article 17 of the Agreement concerning the status of European Union forces as giving the courts of the sending State the right to exercise jurisdiction on Finnish territory.

France

19-07-2005

Pursuant to Article 19(5)(b), France declares that this agreement shall also apply to the communities governed by Articles 73 and 74 of its Constitution, as well as to New Caledonia and the French Southern and Antarctic Territories.

Hungary

12-07-2005

Declaration :The Government of the Republic of Hungary hereby declares that Article 17 of this Agreement does not imply any right for the sending State to exercise jurisdiction in a manner inconsistent with the provisions of the Hungarian Constitution in the territory of Hungary i.e. exercise jurisdiction in cases belonging to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Hungarian courts. In particular, this provision does not give the sending State any right to set up courts or execute judgements within Hungarian territory. This Declaration in no way affects either the applicability of the existing agreements on legal assistance in criminal matters or the division of jurisdiction between the sending State and the receiving State under Article 17. Nor does it affect the sending State's right to exercise such jurisdiction within its own territory when the persons covered by Article 17 have returned to the sending State. Nor does this prevent appropriate measures, which need to be taken immediately to guarantee the maintenance of order and security within the force, from being taken inside Hungarian territory by the military authorities of the sending State (for example detention or any other investigative steps prior to accusation).

Ireland

22-02-2019

Replacement reservation by Ireland to the EU-SOFA "Having regard to: - the Treaties and their Protocols, in particular Article 42, paragraph 2 of the Treaty on European Union and Protocol (No 38) on the Concerns of the Irish People on the Treaty of Lisbon, pursuant to which the Union's common security and defence policy does not prejudice the security and defence policy of each Member State, including Ireland, or the obligations of any Member State, and the Treaty of Lisbon does not affect or prejudice Ireland's traditional policy of military neutrality; - Article 31, paragraph 1 of the Treaty on European Union, and the provisions of recital 2 of the present Agreement whereby decisions to receive forces are a matter for national decision making and will be the subject of separate arrangements between the sending and receiving Member States concerned; and - the prohibition under Ireland's Constitution of the maintenance within the State of the armed forces of any other state; Ireland shall not be a receiving state for the purposes of the present Agreement, and the application of, in particular, Articles 2, 4, 9, 11, 12, 13 and 17 of the present Agreement within the territory of Ireland shall not arise accordingly.

Sweden

21-01-2005

The Swedish Government hereby declares that Article 17 of this Agreement does not imply any right for the sending State to exercise jurisdiction in Swedish territory. In particular, this provision does not give the sending State any right to set up courts or execute judgments within Swedish territory. This in no way affects the division of jurisdiction between the sending State and the receiving State under Article 17. Nor does it affect the sending State's right to exercise such jurisdiction within its own territory when the persons covered by Article 17 have returned to the sending State. Nor does this prevent appropriate measures, which need to be taken immediately to guarantee the maintenance of order and security within the force, from being taken inside Swedish territory by the military authorities of the sending State.

Go to top