A ceremony marking the beginning of the annual EUFOR Quick Response 2021 exercise was held Saturday at the Butmir base near Sarajevo in presence of the representatives of the Bosnian Armed Forces and the state police.

The exercise tests the EUFOR's capabilities to call up and deploy its Intermediate Reserve Forces (IRF) held at high readiness by contributing nations.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, EUFOR Commander, major general Alexander Platzer said that this year's exercise will bring together Bosnian law enforcement agencies, the Armed Forces and EUFOR “in order to test our respective contingency plans and our capabilities. Together we will demonstrate that the citizens of BiH can be assured of our combined commitment to ensuring a Safe and Secure Environment.”

EUFOR IRF troops have arrived from Austria, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Romania and KFOR to join and integrate with their colleagues from Turkey and Hungary in EUFOR’s permanent Multinational Battalion, before deploying to locations across southern BiH for the duration of the exercise.

During the exercise, troops will be tested by a varied series of differing scenarios to examine their response and ensure the intensive integration programme conducted at Camp Butmir was successful. EUFOR Operation Althea is currently made up from forces of 19 nations with a mandate to support BiH authorities in maintaining a Safe and Secure Environment.

The EUFOR is a military deployment in Bosnia and Herzegovina in charge of overseeing the military implementation of the Dayton Agreement, a peace treaty which ended the 1992-95 Bosnian war.

EUFOR Operation Althea is currently made up of soldiers from 20 nations. Its primary role is to support the country's efforts to maintain a safe and secure environment, whilst providing support to the overall EU comprehensive strategy for Bosnia and Herzegovina.