Date of release : 23-05-2005

Policy area : General Affairs and External Relations

Event : General Affairs and External Relations Council

At the end of the "defence" component of the General Affairs and External Relations Council held in Brussels on 23 May, Luc Frieden, who chaired the meeting, made the following statement on the ALTHEA operation:

"We also discussed our ALTHEA operation in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The operation is going well, it is a success for Europe, a success for the EU-NATO agreements, and it is also a success for Bosnia-Herzegovina. I believe that we have contributed to stability in this region."