The cabinet plans to send military personnel to Bosnia and Herzegovina for an EU mission. Because of the war in Ukraine, the European Union thinks that tensions in the Western Balkans will increase and therefore wants to expand militarily.
In addition to a number of advisers, the cabinet is considering deploying a “military unit”, possibly together with a partner country. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense cannot yet say when and how many soldiers are involved. The ambition is to make a major contribution.
The cabinet wants to take “more responsibility for our European security”, according to Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren. The Netherlands also participated in the Althea mission between 2004 and 2017. Among other things, that mission was to guarantee security in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Tensions are rising in the country because of Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik. He wants to separate Republika Srpska from the rest of the country. Because of the war in Ukraine, he says he has put his plans for secession on hold for the time being.
The cabinet wants to extend the deployment in Iraq until July 31, 2025. Currently, about 120 soldiers are protecting the international airport of Erbil in Kurdish northern Iraq. That will come to an end. Soldiers will help the NATO mission in Baghdad and the surrounding area. It is not yet clear how many soldiers will be deployed for this.
Furthermore, there will be no new contribution to the UN mission in Mali for the time being. Some long-running small missions are also coming to an end, including the observation mission that has been monitoring the ceasefire between Syria and Israel since 1974 in the Golan Heights.
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