Brussels, 23/05/2016 (Agence Europe) - At their meeting in Brussels on Monday 23 May, the foreign affairs ministers of the EU member states approved the proposal to prolong the mandate of the EU's naval operation in the Mediterranean, EUNAVFOR Med Sophia, by a year and to assign it two new tasks.
Underlining in their conclusions, the need to build the capacity of the EUNAVFOR Med Sophia operation in order to disrupt the business model of the traffickers and the smuggler networks, and to contribute support more broadly to the Libyan authorities, the foreign affairs ministers agreed to assign the operation two new tasks.
While keeping the emphasis on its basic mandate, the operation will thus now also have the mission of strengthening the capacity of the Libyan navy and coast guard, by training them and sharing information with them on suspicious activities in the Central Mediterranean. This is also a response to a request from the Libyan authorities.
On Sunday 22 May, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini said she had received the request from Libya's prime minister for “swift support from the EU to contribute to the training of the Libyan navy and coast guard, as well as the security services”. Asked about the modalities for the training, Mogherini said it was still necessary to wait for the operational plan, and that it would be possible to do this “on the high seas”, even if “this did not exclude other options”.
The ministers also supported the idea of the operation contributing to the implementation of the arms embargo imposed by the United Nations off the coast of Libya, on the basis of a new Security Council resolution. Work on this resolution is under way in New York.
The preparatory work, including on the planning must continue without delay, the ministers stated. It is on the basis of this work that the Council will adopt the legal decision to extend and amend the operation's mandate. According to Mogherini, the operational plan would be adopted “in the coming days”. The minsters will then have to adopt a legal decision for the new tasks the mission is to carry out.
In their conclusions, the ministers also stated the importance of continuing the coordination with international partners, especially the UN and NATO. On Friday 20 May, Mogheirni said that NATO could support the EU in the Central Mediterranean, especially as regards intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance capabilities, communication systems and logistics (see EDD - Europe Diplomacy and Defence, 21 May). (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)