The start of the military mission codenamed Althea on December 2 will at the same time mark the beginning of the largest such operation undertaken by European Union member states.
The mission's overall commander will be British General John Reith, Deputy Supreme Allied Commander for Europe, whose operational headquarters will be in Mons, Belgium.
The operation is based on decisions by the Council of the European Union and UN Security Council Resolution 1575 of November 22 this year.
The UN resolution stipulates that the task of the EU forces, with an initial mandate of one year, will be to ensure implementation of Annex I and Annex II to the Dayton peace agreement.