A ceremony to officially appoint the Deputy Commander of the EU military deployment in Bosnia and Herzegovina - EUFOR was held today, on 14 March 2024, in Camp Butmir near the capital Sarajevo. The position was taken over by Brigadier General Lorenzo Dal Maso from the Italian Armed forces.

Brigadier General Dal Maso has a vast military experience and has served in numerous overseas missions throughout the world. He joins COM EUFOR Major General László Sticz and COS EUFOR Brigadier General Ovidiu Lungu as part of the EUFOR Command Group. This group will work in unity and cooperation with all the nations of EUFOR as well as BiH authorities to implement the tasks of EUFOR in line with EUFOR’s mission, said the EUFOR statement.

In his speech, COM EUFOR Major General Sticz highlighted that as DCOM EUFOR, Brigadier General Dal Maso will primarily focus on EUFOR’s contacts and cooperation with the Armed Forces of BiH (AF BiH), a function that has one of the highest priorities in EUFOR activities as Operation Althea’s mandate unquestionably tasks EUFOR to support the interoperability development of AF BiH through combined training and exercises. DCOM’s portfolio will also include the implementation of the Masterplan on Ammunition, Weapons & Explosives Disposal, humanitarian demining in BiH as well as monitoring the activities of local authorities in the area of Law Enforcement. Furthermore, Joint Military Affairs Branch will also be supervised by DCOM for providing situational awareness regarding – among others – the operations of the Defence Industry Factories. “I am convinced that with your contribution and support as my deputy, EUFOR Althea will continue to be a valuable presence in this country“, Major General Sticz assured Brigadier General Dal Maso of his trust.

Brigadier General Dal Maso, who is returning to serve in this wonderful country after a little more than 25 years, emphasized in his speech, that Europe has recently renewed its interest in BiH to support it along the path of European integration, as well Italy is contributing to the progress an prosperity of BiH and to staunchly endorse the European perspectives of the whole Western Balkans region. In that regard, his assignment is also a clear demonstration of how active an actor Italy is in this process, he added. “I am aware of the responsibilities and challenges that my assignment entails, but I am ready to accept them very willingly and I can assure everyone as of now that I will give the best of myself and use all my energies and skills to carry out the mission in the best possible way, always guaranteeing impartiality“, concluded the newly appointed DCOM EUFOR.

The establishment of the position of DCOM EUFOR displays EUFOR’s commitment to BiH and demonstrates the mission’s ability to adapt to better aid BiH on their path to EU integration. EUFOR welcomes Brigadier General Dal Maso to this position, his arrival will improve EUFOR’s unity and efficiency by enabling further key leader engagement which will better support and drive progress in BiH, according to the press release.

EUFOR also noted it is a strong, capable and reliable partner to the BiH and remains committed in supporting the authorities of BiH in maintaining a safe and secure environment.