The 300 troops will participate in “Althea”, an EU-orchestrated peace keeping mission in the former Yugoslav member state. Hungarian soldiers have served in Bosnia since 1996, with their most notable achievement of rebuilding the Old Bridge in Mostar. Currently, 108 military police are still stationed in Sarayevo as part of NATO’s SFOR mission, which will end Dec. 2 and will be replaced by the Althea mission.

Parliament’s approval does not specify the type of troops that can be sent to Bosnia, as this will be decided by the government. A decision is still expected on exactly which purpose Hungarian soldiers can serve as part of a new NATO-led mandate in Iraq. Currently, 1,103 Hungarian soldiers serve in international military missions abroad.