Military operations of the European Union

People who worked for the NATO Stabilisation Force SFOR in Bosnia and its successor, the European Union Force EUFOR, will stage a protest in front of the EUFOR and NATO Headquarters in Butmir near Sarajevo on Friday.

They claim that they were not given the benefits to which they were entitled because they were not classified as employees by NATO or EUFOR.

Europe should be more open to the Western Balkans and should rapidly integrate Romania and Bulgaria into the passport-free Schengen Agreement, European Commission Chief Jean Claude Juncker told the European Parliament on Wednesday during his third annual State of the European Union Speech.

At Butmir base, Sarajevo, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva has assured the commanders of the NATO headquarters and of the EU Althea military operation that their mission is of key importance for the stability of Europe and as such it can rely on support from Bulgaria, reported BGNES.

Bulgaria has been taking part in EUFOR's Althea since its start in 2012.

The U.N. rights chief on Jan. 29 expressed alarm at new allegations of child abuse by foreign peacekeepers in the troubled Central African Republic, including cases involving European Union troops.

Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias will be in Brussels on Monday, May 18, to attend a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council (FAC).

BELGRADE - Increased participation of members of the Serbian Defence Ministry and Armed Forces in UN and EU peace missions around the world confirms that Serbia has become a significant exporter of security and equal partner in protecting global peace, Defence Minister Bratislav Gasic has said.

BELGRADE - Serbian Defense Minister Bratislav Gasic visited members of the Serbian Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces (VS) on two multinational peace operations in the Central African Republic (CAR), the Ministry of Defense said in a release on Sunday.

Diplomats and experts believe Russia is trying out a new strategy in Bosnia and Herzegovina, after Russia's representative on the UN Security Council abstained from a vote to extend the mandate of the EU mission, EUFOR, in Bosnia on November 12.

German media: New Russian strategy in Bosnia

BERLIN -- Germany has welcomed the extension of the mandate of EU forces in Bosnia-Herzegovina, EUFOR, for another year.

However, this country is also "concerned that this mission was not supported by all members of the UN Security Council," reports Deutsche Welle....

As many as 110 Bulgarian military personnel are due to head to Afghanistan on Thursday to be part of Resolute Support, NATO's new mission in the country.

Defense Minister Nikolay Nenchev will attend the departure ceremony in the town of Karlovo, in Central Bulgaria, to wish them good luck.