Witthauer succeeded Italian General Gian Marco Chiarini, who held the post for one year. He will command a contingent of about 7,500 troops.
The ceremony was held at the base in Butmir near Sarajevo. In attendance were the EU high representative for the foreign and defence policy Javier Solana as well as numerous Bosnian officials and members of the diplomatic corps.
Before arriving in Sarajevo, Solana told the local media that EUFOR would stay in Bosnia as long was it was necessary and that if the number of troops was reduced, it would have enough on the ground to comply with its mandate -- preserving peace and stability in Bosnia.