EU Council funds Balkan military medical force with ten million euros

The Council of the European Union adopted Council Decision (CFSP) 2026/2231 on 1 October 2026, establishing an assistance measure under the European Peace Facility (EPF) to support the Balkan Medical Task Force (BMTF). The decision, published in the Official Journal of the European Union, L series, of 2 October 2026, commits EUR 10 000 000 and runs for 42 months from the date of its adoption.

The measure was adopted under Article 28(1) and Article 41(2) of the Treaty on European Union, on a proposal from the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. It rests on Council Decision (CFSP) 2021/509 of 22 March 2021, which established the EPF to finance Union actions to preserve peace, prevent conflicts and strengthen international security, including actions strengthening the capacities of third States and regional and international organisations in military and defence matters.

According to the recitals, the BMTF is a regional initiative bringing together six Western Balkan countries — Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia — to provide a quick and effective response to disaster-stricken countries or regions using the existing military medical capacities of participating nations. On 30 April 2026, BMTF representatives wrote to the High Representative requesting Union support for the procurement of key equipment to strengthen the capacity of its medical units.

A force with rotating leadership

Each participating nation takes over the role of “Framework Nation” on a two-year rotating basis. Serbia holds that role for the period June 2024 to June 2026, and North Macedonia will take over for the next period. In the second half of 2021, the BMTF introduced internal rules allowing longer-term deployment in support of missions and operations, including as part of common security and defence policy (CSDP) missions and operations outside the Western Balkans.

The Council states that the aim is to reinforce a multinational military medical unit that could potentially support EU CSDP military operations or the military aspects of peace operations beyond the region and achieve NATO and Partnership for Peace capability targets. It also frames the measure as strengthening the Western Balkans’ ability to respond to crises and increasing the region’s resilience.

Equipment, budget and duration

The assistance measure finances the following types of equipment, expressly not designed to deliver lethal force:

• Communication and information systems.
• Military medical vehicles.
• Field hospital equipment.
• Related supplies and services, including technical and maintenance training, where needed.

The financial reference amount intended to cover expenditure related to the assistance measure is EUR 10 000 000, and its duration is 42 months from the date of adoption of the decision.

Beneficiaries and conditions

Article 1(1) designates as beneficiaries the BMTF and the non-EU participating nations, namely Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. Slovenia, an EU Member State, is not listed among them.

The High Representative must make arrangements with each beneficiary obliging it to ensure:

• Compliance of the supported BMTF units with relevant international law, in particular international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
• Proper and efficient use of any assets provided for the purposes for which they were provided.
• Sufficient maintenance of those assets over their life cycle.
• That assets are not lost or transferred to persons or entities other than those identified in the arrangements.

Those arrangements must also include provisions on suspension and termination of support if a beneficiary is found in breach.

Implementation and oversight

The High Representative is responsible for implementation, while the activities are carried out by ITF Enhancing Human Security and the administrator for assistance measures. The High Representative must provide the Political and Security Committee (PSC) with six-monthly reports, and the administrator must regularly inform the Facility Committee on the implementation of revenue and expenditure, including information on suppliers and subcontractors.

Post-shipment control is organised through delivery verification, with EPF delivery certificates signed by the end-user forces upon transfer of ownership; annual reporting on the inventory of designated items until the PSC deems it no longer necessary; and on-site visits, with beneficiaries granting the High Representative and EPF auditors access for checks and audits on request. A final evaluation will assess whether the measure met its objectives. The PSC may suspend implementation wholly or partially and may recommend that the Council terminate the measure.

The decision enters into force on the date of its adoption, 1 October 2026, and was signed at Luxembourg by the President of the Council, J. O’CALLAGHAN. For readers, it marks the extension of European Peace Facility funding to a multinational military medical unit, tying EU defence money to a regional Western Balkan capability that could be deployed well beyond the region.

Source: Official Journal of the European Union, L series, No 2026/2231, 2 October 2026, p. 1 (official reference: CELEX L_202602231).