On Tuesday 31 March, the EU Council adopted by written procedure the decision launching the EunavforMed Irini (from the Greek word "peace") operation from 1 April. It will be fully operational in the coming weeks.
Ministers agreed to launch this mission on 17 February (see EUROPE 12427/4) and Member States' ambassadors reached agreement on 26 March (see EUROPE 12455/24).
Irini's core task will be the implementation of the UN arms embargo to and from Libya. It will have aerial, satellite and maritime assets for this purpose. In particular, the mission will be able, as was Operation EunavforMed Sophia, which ended on 31 March, to carry out inspections in international waters off the Libyan coast of vessels suspected of transporting arms or related materiel to and from Libya, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2292 (see EUROPE 12450/21). This monitoring will also enable the EU to "provide the United Nations with a more complete picture of possible arms trafficking to Libya", according to the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell.
Although the Irini mission is not a land-based operation, the High Representative said that it would have the means to observe what is happening in the airspace and inside the territory through satellites and ship-borne radar systems. "Very long-range observation systems, such as satellites, and short-range observation systems such as ship-borne radars will allow systematic monitoring of what is happening on Libya's eastern border", he said.
Beyond this main task, Irini will be able to monitor and gather information on illicit exports from Libya of petroleum, crude oil and refined petroleum products. Capacity building and training of the Libyan Coast Guard and Navy in law enforcement tasks at sea, which were already missions performed by Sophia, will also be continued by Irini.
Finally, the disruption of the business model of human smuggling and trafficking networks, which was Sophia's main mission, becomes a secondary task for Irini and will involve information gathering and air patrols. In order to reassure Member States concerned about the knock-on effect on migration flows that Irini might have, Mr Borrell clarified that the mission was not a "Sophia Part Two" operation, since the aims of Sophia had been totally different.
However, it is part of a continuation of Sophia. Thus, Irini will be commanded by Rear Admiral Fabio Agostini, who previously headed up Sophia, and its headquarters will also be in Rome. Irini has an initial one-year term, until 31 March 2021.
For Mr Borrell, the Irini mission is an "important contribution by the EU to support the political process, known as the Berlin process, aimed at ending the conflict in Libya". "Only political solutions and compliance with the UN arms embargo can be the solution to the Libyan crisis. (...) I believe that this operation will be essential. It is not the only solution, but it is an important part of the solution contributing to a permanent ceasefire", he added, while acknowledging that Irini was not "Asterix's magic potion", "it's not a question of adding a pinch of Irini and the problem is solved, the problem is complex, difficult and multidimensional", he acknowledged. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)