European Defence Ministers held an informal meeting in Innsbruck on 6 and 7 March to discuss, among other topics, the revision of EUFOR's activities in Bosnia, scheduled for June 2006.
According to Agence Europe, Austrian Defence Minister Guenther Platter told a news conference the EU could consider the reduction of peace troops in Bosnia, adding however, this would depend on the political situation in the country, namely the elections scheduled for this October.
Platter said a total of 6,700 EU soldiers were currently deployed in Bosnia. This number could soon be reduced to 6,000, he said, adding that the cut would not affect the quality of the operation.
The Austrian minister expressed satisfaction with the results of the EU operation in Bosnia Althea, stressing that it gave people hope in peace, stability and security.
Operation Althea was launched on 2 December 2004 to replace the NATO-led Stabilisation Force.