Finland to partcipate in the EU's military crisis management operation in Bosnia-Herzegovina
Government Information Unit
Press release
20 August 2004
On Friday, 20 August, the President of the Republic and the Cabinet Committee on Foreign and Security Policy discussed Finland's participation in the EU's military crisis management operation in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The EU-led ALTHEA operation, which will be launched in December 2004 and the strength of which will be some 7,000 persons, will take over the functions of the Nato's SFOR operation, including the support for the Daytona peace process. The ALTHEA operation, mandated by the UN, is hitherto the most important military crisis management operation led by the European Union. In line with the permanent cooperation arrangements between the EU and Nato, the operation will be supported by the Nato's planning and staff structures. The operation to be launched in Bosnia-Herzegovina will the first comprehensive EU-led crisis management operation that will apply the new method of combining the means of military and civilian crisis management. Currently, the Union has a police mission and observer operation under way in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Finland is planning to provide the ALTHEA operation with some 200 peacekeepers who will participate in the operational duties and, if necessary, some 30 persons who would be involved in the reception and repair functions of the base. The Finnish peacekeeping troop would make part of Task Force North which is one of the operation's three detachments and consists of 1,200 persons. Finland would act as the framework nation of the detachment until summer 2005 and appoint a commander to the detachment. A final decision on Finland's participation can only made after the European Union Force Goal meeting when the issue is to be discussed at Parliament and decided by the President of the Republic.
As regards civil crisis management, Finland currently has 16 persons participating in the Union's police mission and five persons in the observer mission. Involvement in the aforementioned bodies will continue.
Further information: Elina Kalkku, Head of Unit, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 9 1605 5480 and Pauli Järvenpää, Head of Unit, Ministry of Defence, tel. +358 9 1608 8140