Brussels, 25/09/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 24 September, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini announced that the second phase of the EU naval operation against human smugglers and traffickers in the Mediterranean (EUNAVFOR Med) is due to be launched on 7 October.
This phase comprises boarding, searching, seizing and returning boats at sea if they have no flag or if the country of which they are flying the flag gives its agreement. At the end of her visit to the EUNAVFOR Med headquarters in Rome, Mogherini tweeted that 15 traffickers had already been arrested and 2,146 lives saved.
On 14 September, the Council of the EU deemed that the conditions had been met for moving from the first phase of the operation to the second phase at sea. According to the Council “all the military objectives relating to phase I focusing on the collection and analysis of information and intelligence” have been fulfilled.
Two days later, at the force generation conference, the EU member states proposed sufficient means to be able to launch this new phase. The operation should thus be able to count on nine vessels: the flagship Cavour, five frigates (one German, one Belgian, one Spanish, one French and one British), a German supply ship, a Swedish corvette and a Slovenian patrol vessel.
The rules of engagement have not yet been adopted, but this should happen on Monday 28 September during the meeting of ambassadors from the Political and Security Committee (PSC). It is also in the course of this meeting that the decision to launch phase II is expected to be taken.
The operation could change name. When she was in Rome Mogherini proposed a new name for the EUNAVFOR Med operation: “Sofia”. This is the name of a baby girl born on the German ship Schleswig-Holstein after the successful rescue of migrants at the end of August (the Schleswig-Holstein is taking part in the operation). (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant with Olivier Jehin)