The spokeswoman of the European External Action Service, Maja Kocijančič, confirmed on Wednesday 27 March that the maritime operation EUNAVFORMed Sophia will be extended for 6 months, without its maritime assets. The mandate of this mission currently runs until Sunday, March 31.
“Member States have decided to extend the mandate for 6 months with a temporary suspension of its naval assets”, she explained.
The thorny issue of the landing of migrants collected by the operation's vessels, which Italy and the other Member States are at odds on, has still not been resolved. This extension therefore gives 6 more months to find a solution. “We are on borrowed time”, a European source told EUROPE.
“It’s also true that operation Sophia is a maritime operation and it’s clear that with no maritime assets, it will not be able to implement effectively its mandate”, Ms. Kocijančič acknowledged. However, according to one source, the agreement reached between the Twenty-Eight “makes it possible to keep the legal framework and preserve what has been achieved, by continuing the support tasks”.
The other aspects of the mission will continue, including the disruption of human trafficking networks, support for the establishment of the UN arms embargo on Libya - with aerial surveillance for these two elements - and the training of the Libyan coastguard. According to this European source, “this will make it possible to continue to collect information and issue alerts, if necessary”.
Although this maritime operation is being cut off from its maritime assets, for this European source, its extension is a “source of hope”, a “positive sign from the Member States” who do not want to see the operation closed down, despite the conflict over landings (see EUROPE 12216/5).
The extension decision is expected to be formally adopted by written procedure on Friday. Once the decision is formal, the Operation Commander will suspend the deployment of maritime assets. The latter have been on the back burner for weeks, so as not to have to intervene during rescue operations. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)