EUROPEAN UNION COMMON SECURITY AND DEFENCE POLICY EU military operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Operation EUFOR ALTHEA) Updated: April 2010 Althea/21 Mission background The military operation EUFOR ALTHEA in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) was launched on 2 December 2004 and has contributed to the maintenance of the safe and secure environment in BiH. The decision to launch Operation ALTHEA followed the decision by NATO to conclude its SFOR-operation and the adoption by the UN Security Council of resolution 1575 authorising the deployment of an EU force in BiH. In the framework of Operation ALTHEA, the EU deployed 7000 troops, under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, to ensure continued compliance with the Dayton/Paris Agreement and to contribute to a safe and secure environment in BiH. Operation ALTHEA is carried out with recourse to NATO assets and capabilities, under the "Berlin Plus" arrangements. Mandate and objectives Following a Council decision in December 2006, EUFOR was reconfigured during 2007. The force now numbers roughly 2000 troops on the ground, backed up by over-the-horizon reserves. EUFOR continues to act in accordance with its peace enforcement mandate under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, as specified in UN Security Council Resolutions 1575 (2004), 1639 (2005), 1722 (2006), 1785 (2007), 1845 (2008), renewed by the Security Council on 18 November 2009 (Security Council Resolution 1895 (2009)). FACTS AND FIGURES Theatre: Bosnia and Herzegovina Headquarters: Sarajevo (Camp Butmir) Starting Date: 2 December 2004 Head of Mission: The EU Operation Commander is General Sir John McColl (UK). The EU Force Commander as of 4 December 2009 is Major General Bernhard Bair (Austria). Troop strength: around 2000 Operation budget: The common costs of the operation are EUR 27 million. These costs are paid through contributions by EU Member States to a financial mechanism (Athena) based on GDP. Contributing states: 20 EU Member States (Spain and Italy are among the main contributors), Albania, Chile, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Switzerland and Turkey www.consilium.europa.eu/eufor-althea and www.euforbih.org PRESS - EU Council Secretariat Tel: +32 (0)2 281 7640 / 6319 [email protected] - www.consilium.europa.eu/csdp The main objectives of Operation EUFOR ALTHEA are: • First and foremost, to maintain a safe and secure environment in BiH and to ensure continued compliance with the Dayton/Paris agreement (General Framework Agreement for Peace (GFAP)); • Also, to support the international community’s High Representative/EU Special Representative for BiH, Valentin Inzko, and the local authorities. EUFOR supports the implementation of a number of tasks that have been transferred from the operation to local authorities, such as: countermines activities, military and civilian movement control of weapons and ammunition, as well as the management of weapons and ammunition storage sites. EUFOR actively continues to provide support to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in pursuit of persons indicted for war crimes, while noting that the responsibility for full cooperation with ICTY rests with the BiH authorities. It also contributes to defence reform in BiH. A multinational manoeuvre battalion is based in Sarajevo and EUFOR also retains its presence throughout the country through the liaison and observation teams (LOTs). The Multinational manoeuvre battalion, based in Camp Butmir, is made up of troops from Spain, Hungary, Poland and Turkey. EUFOR retains its capacity to react throughout the country to any possible security challenges. The Operation Commander is General Sir John McColl (UK). The EU's Political and Security Committee exercises the political control and strategic direction of the operation, under the responsibility of the Council of the EU. In the context of the EU's overall commitment in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in November 2009, the Council of the EU reconfirmed that Operation ALTHEA remained an important part of EU’s comprehensive efforts in BiH to support a political process aimed at enabling BiH, on the basis of necessary reforms, to continue to move forward in the EU integration process. The Council noted that the security situation in BiH continued to remain stable, despite the challenging political environment. On 25 January 2010, the Council of the EU underlined Operation Althea's significant contribution to the stability and security in BiH. Building on these achievements, the Council decided to start providing non-executive capacity-building and training support, within the framework of the Operation, subject of the completion of the necessary arrangements. On 26 April 2010, the Council welcomed Operation Althea’s continued important contribution to the EU’s comprehensive efforts in BiH. The Council welcomed progress with the implementation of the Operation’s new capacity-building and training tasks, which would contribute to strengthening local ownership and capacity. It also reiterated the importance of Member States continuing to provide the necessary resources for the ongoing Operation’s executive role. The European Union's Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) includes the gradual framing of a common defence policy which might in time lead to a common defence. The CSDP allows the Union to develop its civilian and military capacities for crisis management and conflict prevention at international level, thus helping to maintain peace and international security, in accordance with the United Nations Charter. The CSDP includes a strong conflict prevention component. More information and background documents available on: www.consilium.europa.eu/csdp and www.eeas.europa.eu .