Small track of compromise on the future of Althea

(BRUSSELS2 in Wroclaw) During the informal dinner of defense ministers, an outline of compromise seems to be taking shape on the future of the EU military mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Between supporters of the closure of the mission and supporters of its maintenance, a middle way could be found. The mission would remain limited to a training and training mission for the Bosnian army, therefore without an executive mandate (which has already been decided). And forces would be held in reserve outside the country "just in case", within the framework of EU battlegroups. This would allow the Althea mission to be closed, without doing so completely.

A utility for battlegroups

This solution has a double advantage, according to a Polish official who confided in B2, to solve the question of Althea but also to give a utility to the Battlegroups. " Many countries are wondering, in fact, about the need to provide forces to the battlegroups. Because they have not been used ". But adds a national diplomat, supporter of the first option (closure), this solution is not without implication: “ Countries that have a permanent battlegroup could find themselves involved in the Balkans when they may not really want to. nor having budgeted for it, one might add.

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