The cabinet confirmed on Thursday that the Slovenian Armed Forces would take part in an EU battlegroup alongside Hungarian and Italian armed forces. The battlegroup will include a motorised company of 200 Slovenian soldiers and will be on standby from 1 July to 31 December 2007.
During its six months on standby, the unit will be ready for deployment within 10 days anywhere in the world, given a go-ahead by the United Nations, the office added.
The majority of the battlegroups will be multinational, although France, Italy, Spain and Great Britain also opted for one-nation battlegroups.
The main aim of the battlegroups is rapid deployment in areas where tensions could escalate into a crisis. The forces could also be used for other missions, including peacekeeping and humanitarian.
A letter of intent on forming the Slovenian, Italian and Hungarian battlegroup was signed by the defence ministers of the three countries in late 2004.
The idea for EU battlegroups was floated by France, Great Britain and Germany in the beginning of 2004.
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