Three years after they left the mission, France returned to EUFOR and the welcoming ceremony was held at EUFOR’s Sarajevo base Butmir.

The raising of the French flag at the base was attended by French Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina Guillaume Rousson, EUFOR Commander General Major Martin Dorfer, NATO HQ in Sarajevo’s Commander Brigadier General Marti J. Bissell and the French police attaché in Bosnia and Herzegovina Brigadier Jean-Francois Caparos.  

The European Union Force Althea (EUFOR Althea) is a military deployment in Bosnia which oversees the military implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement that ended the war in Bosnia.

General Dorfer welcomed the French return to EUFOR, saying he was happy to raise the French flag and to celebrate their return to the mission. With their return, the number of member states in the mission has increased from 18 to 19.  

“We welcome the French return as a significant additional contribution to EUFOR’s mission and we look forward to the future work with our new colleagues, under the joint slogan ‘one mission, one team’,” Dorfer said.  

The French decision is another critical step in the history of EUFOR after the UN Security Council prolonged the mission's mandate, pointing to the UN’s and the EU’s continues dedication to this country.