Additional EUFOR peacekeeper troops arrive in Bosnia amid tensions
The EU announced plans to send peacekeepers to Bosnia after the nation's top court suspended laws adopted by its ethnic Serb regional entity.
ADVERTISEMENT
Reserve peacekeepers arrived in Bosnia on Wednesday amid rising tensions in the country, a day after NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte reaffirmed support for the country's territorial integrity and peace.
Italian and Czech military personnel touched down at Sarajevo airport and were greeted by the EU force in Bosnia, known as EUFOR. Romanian troops, helicopters and military supplies will arrive in the coming days.
Rutte had pledged NATO's 'unwavering' support for Bosnia's territorial integrity after a series of Bosnian Serb moves raised tensions nearly 30 years after the end of a bloody war.
The president of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Serb-majority entity of the Republika Srpska (RS), Milorad Dodik, introduced new laws meant to ban the operation of state-level security and judicial institutions in what comprises about half of the Western Balkan country's territory.
Bosnia's state-level prosecutors issued arrest warrants on Wednesday for three top Bosnian Serb officials – including Dodik.
Dodik, who has previously said he does not recognise the country's state-level prosecutor's office, has rejected the warrant's validity and any attempts at his arrest, and said he will not go to Sarajevo for questioning.
His acts, which were previously adopted by the RS' National Assembly, came in response to the first-instance verdict by the state-level Court of BiH against Dodik issued on 26 February, causing a major political crisis in the EU membership hopeful.
The Sarajevo-based court sentenced the Bosnian Serb leader to one year in prison and barred him from politics for six years for going against the decisions of the international community's peace envoy, German diplomat Christian Schmidt, which constitutes a criminal act. The verdict is not final, and Dodik can appeal it.
In Bosnia, the High Representative acts as the chief arbiter in high-profile disputes and the key figure overseeing the implementation of the Dayton Agreement, signed in 1995 to stop the war in the country.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Euronews
8 hours ago
- Euronews
Italian labour reform and citizenship referendum under way
On Sunday 8 and Monday 9 June, citizens are called to the polls to vote on five abrogative or repeal referenda - they are so called because they decide whether to retain or repeal a law or decree that is part of the legislature and already implemented. They coincide with local elections in several Italian regions and municipalities. The referenda, proposed by trade unions and civic organisations, touch on issues that have generated political debate in recent years, in particular the labour market reform, mainly of the 2016 Jobs Act, and migrant reception and integration policies. The first four issues are related to the job topic and concern increasing protection of workers, small enterprises and their obligations towards employees, short-term contracts, and the responsibility of clients towards sub-contracting parties and employees' safety. The fifth question concerns the period of time necessary to be eligible for Italian citizenship, proposing to reduce it from 10 to 5 years. Government parties opposed the referenda, with some politicians urging citizens not to go to the polls. Analysts say the vote is a test for Giorgia Meloni's executive. For the referenda to be valid, a quorum must be reached: at least 50% plus one of all eligible voters must participate. According to the advocacy group International Democracy Community, the referenda can be characterised as a citizens' initiative: "The referendum questions were proposed through a bottom-up approach, and did not come from Parliament. Members of the Europa+ party launched the initiative on the citizenship question, whilst the Italian General Confederation of Labour (CGIL) has been the initiator of the Jobs Act ones, with support from the Democratic Party, the Five Star Movement, and the Green & Left Alliance." Voting is taking place from 07:00 to 23:00 on Sunday and from 07:00 to 15:00 on Monday. At 12 noon, with almost all sections verified, turnout stood at just over 7%, raising concerns about a successful outcome. In 2011, the last time the quorum was reached in a referendum, 11.6% had voted by that time. Russia's Defence Ministry said on Sunday that its forces had reached the western edge of the Donetsk region, one of the four provinces Russia illegally annexed in 2022, and that troops were 'developing the offensive' in the neighbouring Dnipropetrovsk region. This would be the first time Russian troops had pushed into the region in the more than three-year-old war. Ukraine has denied the claim. Russia's advance would mark a significant setback for Ukraine's already stretched forces as peace talks remain stalled and Russian troops have made incremental gains elsewhere. Putin's forces also appear to be within a few kilometres of the city of Sumy, three years after Ukraine forced them out of the northern region. One person was killed and another seriously wounded in Russian aerial strikes on the eastern Ukrainian Kharkiv region. These strikes came after Russian attacks targeted the regional capital on Saturday. Regional police in Kharkiv said on Sunday that the death toll from Saturday's attacks had increased to six people. More than two dozen others were wounded. Russia fired a total of 49 exploding drones and decoys and three missiles overnight, Ukraine's air force said Sunday. Forty drones were shot down or electronically jammed. Russia's defence ministry said that its forces shot down 61 Ukrainian drones overnight, including near the capital. Five people were wounded Sunday in a Ukrainian drone attack on a parking lot in Russia's Belgorod region, according to regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov. Two people were wounded when a Ukrainian drone attack sparked a fire at a chemical plant in the Tula region, local authorities said. Russian authorities said early Sunday that Vnukovo and Domodedovo airports, two international airports serving Moscow, temporarily suspended flights because of a Ukrainian drone attack. Later in the day, Domodedovo halted flights temporarily for a second time, along with Zhukovsky airport.
Euronews
11 hours ago
- Euronews
Paolini-Errani crowned women's double Paris Open champions
Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini conquered Roland Garros. The two Italian tennis players imposed themselves on the Serbian-Kazakhstan pair of Aleksandra Krunic and Anna Danilina at the end of a multi-faceted match: after an initial, 6-4 in favour of the Italians, the second set ended 2-6 in favour of the opponents. In the third set, however, there was no mistaking who was in charge. The Italian Olympians hit two consecutive breaks and always held serve, taking a 5-0 lead. The match therefore ended with a score of 6-1, which gave the crown to the Italian pair. It was the second consecutive title for Errani-Paolini after the one they had just won at the Internazionali in Rome. And it is a rematch on French soil, after last year's final defeat against Katerina Siniakova and Coco Gauff. The Italian tennis player's total haul thus rises to seven titles, including the Olympic gold medal (also in Paris) in 2024. Four in particular triumphed in WTA 1000 tournaments. Sara Errani reached 34 titles in doubles; Paolini eight. Together with Roberta Vinci, she had already won Roland Garros in 2012, the US Open in the same year, the Australian Open in 2013-2014 and Wimbledon in 2014. For the Bolognese tennis player, this year's is therefore the sixth Slam in doubles, while for Jasmine Paolini who also took home the mixed doubles title together with Andrea Vavassori, it is the first one. Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday that Israel wouldn't allow anyone to break its naval blockade of the Palestinian territory, which he said was aimed at preventing Hamas from importing arms. In a post on X Katz announced that he has instructed the Israeli Defence Force "to act to prevent the Madleen hate flotilla" from reaching the strip's coast: "You should turn back - because you will not reach Gaza." Thunberg is among 12 activists aboard the Madleen, which is operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition. The vessel departed Sicily last Sunday on a mission that aims to break the sea blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid, while raising awareness over the growing humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave. The activists had said they planned to reach Gaza's territorial waters as early as Sunday. Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament who is of Palestinian descent, is among the others onboard. She has been barred from entering Israel because of her opposition to Israeli policies toward the Palestinians. Also on board is "Game of Thrones" star Liam Cunningham. After a three-month total blockade aimed at pressuring Hamas, Israel started allowing some basic aid into Gaza last month, but humanitarian workers have warned of famine unless the blockade and the war end. An attempt last month by Freedom Flotilla to reach Gaza by sea failed after another of the group's vessels was attacked by two drones while sailing in international waters off Malta. The group blamed Israel for the attack, which damaged the front section of the ship. Israel denied the allegations.
Euronews
14 hours ago
- Euronews
French companies to manufacture drones in Ukraine
In the campaign of attrition and position that the war in Ukraine has become, FPV drones have quickly become ubiquitous and vitally essential. Russia, initially relying mainly on Iranian Shaheds, soon put all the power of its war economy into manufacturing them itself. Ukraine, although not able to rely on the same production capacity, is not to be outdone and can rely on its inventiveness, both in the construction and development of its own models and the effectiveness of their use - as demonstrated by the recent 'Spider's Web' operation- but also in the 're-use' of swarms launched by its adversaries. Now Kyiv can count on some major support in this war at a distance: French automotive and defence companies are going to produce drones on Ukrainian soil. Announcing the initiative on LCI, French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu spoke of a "win-win" partnership with Ukraine. "We're going to embark on a completely unprecedented partnership where a major company producing French cars - I'm not giving the name because it's up to it to announce it - is going to join forces with a French defence SME to arm production lines in Ukraine to be able to produce drones", the minister announced. These drones, the type of which he did not specify, will be intended for the Ukrainians, " but we are also going to make them available to our own French armies so that we can have permanent tactical and operational training that reflects the reality " of the conflict. As far as expertise and manpower are concerned, production will rest on the Ukrainians' shoulders: they "are better than we are at devising drones and, above all, developing the doctrine that goes with them", Lecornu admitted. " There's also no need to ask French citizens" to go and work on the production line in Ukraine. The announcement follows the discussions that took place on 5 June in Brussels between the Ukrainian and French defence ministers on the joint production of weapons for Ukrainian defence needs. "We are ready to offer this opportunity to the best manufacturers. Ukraine has combat experience and France has a solid industrial base. This is a strategic and mutually beneficial partnership", Ukrainian Miniser of Defence Rustem Umarierov emphasised, thanking Lecornu for his support. At the 28th Ramstein meeting at NATO headquarters, Ukraine and its partners also decided to set up an armaments production mechanism. Several European partners have recently invested in drone production in Ukraine Finland has set up a drone manufacturing plant in cooperation with Ukrainian partners to produce drones for Ukraine and the EU, with mass production scheduled to begin in 2025. The Netherlands has announced a €700m ($798m) investment to advance drone technology and support Ukraine's defence industry. The UK is also investing hundreds of millions of dollars to increase drone production for Ukraine in 2025. Norway has redirected its funds to support Ukrainian drone production. According to Jean-Paul Perruche, Lieutenant General and former Director General of the European Union Military Staff, quoted by LCI, France was until then "insufficiently prepared" for this upheaval in warfare practices: "I worked in the research department of the army staff, and we were already talking about drones at the end of the 1980s. But the context at the time was far from high-intensity. I think we fell behind on drones at a time when countries like the United States and others like China were forging ahead. While the French army has a few thousand drones (3,000 for the army), Ukraine intends to use more than 4.5 million drones by 2025, which are responsible for 70% of the destruction of enemy equipment on the front line. Both Poland and Portugal marked the beginning of pride month with parades held on Saturday afternoon. The month of June is celebrated as pride month across the world, with festivals, demonstrations, parades, and other events bringing light to LGBTQ+ issues. In Poland, Pride marches were held in the cities of Gdańsk and Wrocław, just one week after the election of conservative-nationalist Karol Nawrocki, who was endorsed by the Law and Justice party. This was the 17th Pride Parade in Wrocław, and the 10th to take place in Gdańsk. In Wrocław, demonstrators set of from Freedom Square at 14:00, while the "Tri-City Equality March" encompassing the coastal cities of Gdańsk, Gdynia, and Sopot took off at 16:00. Both marches aimed to showcase the cities as inclusive towards all of their residents. Several political leaders confirmed their participation in the marches, including Minister of Family, Labor and Social Policy Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk, Minister of Equality Katarzyna Kotula, Mayor of Gdańsk Agnieszka Dulkiewicz and Mayor of Sopot Magdalena Czarzyńska-Jachim. City councilor and president of the Tolerado Association for LGBTQ+ rights, Marta Magott said in an interview with the official website of Gdańsk that the annual march is a "reminder of freedom, solidarity, and equality". The event was significant in Poland, which still ranks as the second-worst country in the EU for LGBTQ+ people, after Romania, according to the advocacy group ILGA-Europe, which publishes an annual "Rainbow Map" ranking the countries based on political and social factors. Poland had occupied the top spot in the rankings for six years, and made marginal progress since the election of the coalition government in 2023, according to the organization. Portugal, on the other hand, is in 11th place. A Pride March will also take place on June 14 in Warsaw. At the 26th LGBTQI+ Pride March in Lisbon on Saturday, thousands of people lined the avenues of the capital's downtown to defend human rights, equality and non-discrimination. The march left Praça do Marquês de Pombal at 16:30 with one of this year's mottoes being "Resist and not just Exist", according to a joint manifesto published by one of the organising movements on social media. At a time when the far-right is closer to political power and institutions in Portugal and Europe, hate speech and discrimination against LGBTQ+ minorities are resurfacing in national society, after more than 50 years of achievements in Portugal for equality and non-discrimination rights. "The political forces that deny our rights are gaining institutional space, marching is reaffirming that we don't back down, that we exist, that we resist," says the Associação ILGA Portugal - Intervenção Lésbica, Gay, Bissexual, Trans e Intersexo (ILGA) on its Facebook account. "Hate speech is trying to become normalised," adds ILGA, and "we cannot ignore the fact that freedom and democracy are under attack," warns. The group recalled that during the 48 years of dictatorship, the fascist regime denied the existence of homosexuals and lesbians, who were persecuted. Portugal lived under a dictatorship for almost 48 years. Founded in 1995, ILGA Portugal is the oldest association defending LGBTQ+ people and their families against discrimination. It is part of ILGA World and the Platform for Fundamental Rights of the European Union Agency. "We are marching for the right to live with dignity, for all the people who came before us, for those who are here and for those who are yet to come." "This is a right that has been won over the years in Portugal, and today it is under threat," said Mariana Mortágua, coordinator of the Left Bloc party, participating in the parade. 'Nowadays, it's difficult to demonstrate for human rights without being threatened by extreme right-wing forces and without the government doing something about it', Mortágua added in statements to Portuguese national television, RTP. "We have to keep fighting for rights," said Hélder Bértolo of the March's organising committee, "it's important to be here, to raise our voices," he added regarding the threat of acquired rights being broken in the face of the rise of the radical right. Bértolo said these rights "have faded", especially in countries like Hungary. "Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and other European countries are also moving in this direction", the spokesperson told reporters. The 2025 edition also saw the participation of the Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality (CIG), which joined the 18 associations and groups with political intervention in defence of the LGBTQ+ community.
