The Council of the EU reiterated, on Monday 12 October, that the EU stands ready to continue the executive mandate of EUFOR Operation Althea to assist the Bosnian authorities in maintaining a safe and secure environment, subject to further authorisation by the United Nations, which is expected in early November.
In its conclusions, the EU Council states that the presentation of the next strategic review of the operation by mid-2021, “will serve as a basis for discussion on EUFOR’s future tasks and the way forward for the Operation”, also bearing in mind the need to support BiH's progress in its EU integration process and taking into account the security situation on the ground.
Coordination of the Operation with the other international actors on the ground must be continued, adds the EU Council, which welcomes the fact that Althea has been able to remain fully operational despite Covid-19.
The conclusions underline the EU Council's “unequivocal” commitment to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s EU perspective as a “single, united and sovereign” country. It calls on all political actors to refrain from “provocative and divisive” rhetoric during the run-up to the 15 November local elections and to focus on addressing the 14 key priorities identified in the Commission's Opinion on the country's application for EU membership.
See the conclusions: https://bit.ly/3lyYROb (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)