The Council of the European Union adopted an assistance measure worth €10 million that will support the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina (AFBiH). This decision is part of the EU’s work to further strengthen its security engagement with its Western Balkan partners and builds on previous EU support for the AFBiH, notably through a previous assistance measure announced in November 2021 worth €10 million for the demining battalion of the AFBiH, an assistance measure worth €6 million announced in June 2022 for the benefit of the Balkan Medical Task Force (BMTF) and the continuous support for EUFOR Althea for the BiH Armed forces, including through training.

The new assistance measure will finance field equipment, key tools for military engineering and material to protect against Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) threats. This assistance was requested by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina in June 2022. Through the provision of appropriate equipment, the assistance measure will strengthen the capacities of the tactical support brigade and the AFBiH as a whole.

The new assistance measure was adopted under the European Peace Facility (EPF). The EPF was established in March 2021 as a tool to expand the EU’s ability to provide security for its citizens and its partners. It enables the EU to provide all types of equipment and infrastructure to the armed forces of EU partners, in compliance with international human rights law and international humanitarian law. The new assistance measure was adopted in response to a request made by the BiH Ministry of Foreign Affairs in June 2022.