European Rapid Operational Force

TheEuropean Rapid Operational Force(EUROFOR) was a multinationalrapid reaction forcecomposed of forces from four states of theEuropean Union:Italy,France,PortugalandSpain.It had a permanent staff capable of commanding operations, involving commitments of up to a LightDivisionin size. Eurofor was formed in May 1995 inLisbon,and was answerable to theWestern European Union(WEU) directly.It was tasked with performingPetersberg tasks,includinghumanitarian,peacekeepingandpeace enforcementmissions. With the merger of several WEU elements into theEuropean Union,Eurofor had by and large become part of theCommon Security and Defence Policy.It was eventually transformed into anEU Battlegroupand was on standby from 1 July until 31 December 2011.On 2 July 2012, Eurofor was dissolved.

Eurofor
Active	1995–2012
Allegiance	European Union
Type	Rapid reaction force
Size	12,000 (1995)
Garrison/HQ	Florence
Engagements	Albania North Macedonia

Operations

The ribbon bar of the Eurofor Service Medal

Eurofor has been involved in three deployments:

• 2000-2001:Mission Albania:In response to a refugee crisis in Albania following theKosovo War.The deployment was initially part ofNATOoperation "Allied Harbor"and once NATO ground forces entered Kosovo, Eurofor's mission also incorporated the defence of NATO supply lines through Albania.
• 2003:Mission Macedonia:Under the wing of theEuropean Union,as part ofEUFOR Concordia.Formally, Eurofor became answerable directly to theEuropean Union,through thePolitical and Security Committee.This operation began on 31 March 2003 when the Macedonian authorities invited assistance with the goal of the establishment of a stable and secure environment in Macedonia (now North Macedonia). This mission officially ended on 15 December 2004.
• 2007:Bosnia and Herzegovina

See also

• European Maritime Force
• European Gendarmerie Force
• Eurocorps
• EU Battlegroup