§ Lord Astor of Heverasked Her Majesty's Government:
What preparations have been made for the European Union to take over SFOR operations in Bosnia. [HL4096]
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanPreparations for the EU military mission to Bosnia, underpinned by close and regular contacts between the EU and NATO, are proceeding well. The EU's General Affairs and External Relations Council approved the Concept of Operations for the mission on 13 September. Work is now being taken forward on the Operation Plan; and a Force Generation Conference took place on 15 September, which all troop contributing nations—including non-EU countries—were invited to attend. The EU mission will take over in December. It will be a robust military force with some 7,000 troops and will operate under a chapter VII mandate.