European maritime security landscape

The political impulse for the EU Naval Force Mediterranean (EUNAVFOR MED) Operation Irini (Greek for ‘peace’) came during the 2020 Berlin conference on Libya. Conference participants committed to the 55-point conference conclusions, including to ‘unequivocally and fully’ respect and implement the arms embargo established UN Security Council Resolution 1970 (2011), recognising that, so far, neither the UN nor the EU had been able to effectively enforce the arms embargo. Replacing Operation Sophia, (launched in 2015 with a mandate to counter piracy, trafficking and smuggling in the southern central Mediterranean, extended to include also monitoring compliance with the arms embargo), Operation Irini was officially launched on 31 March 2020 (with an initial mandate until 31 March 2021), to patrol the international waters about 100 km off the Libyan coast. In line with its goal of implementing the arms embargo imposed on Libya by the UN Security Council, this military operation covers the main central Mediterranean route used for smuggling weapons into the country, and does not cover humanitarian tasks. Operation Irini and Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, have signed an agreement to deepen their cooperation and information exchange.
Operation Irini is a complementary tool in the de-escalation of the Libyan conflict, and cooperates closely with the EU border assistance mission in Libya (EUBAM Libya). Since its inception, the operation has, among other things, boarded and inspected 25 suspect ships and investigated 8 736 merchant vessels through request of information via radio calls, and investigated 25 airports and 16 ports. Experts confirm that EU maritime presence in Libya can contribute to de-escalating the conflict.
However, Operation Irini has suffered from under-staffing and relatively limited operational assets. As of January 2023, 23 Member States are contributing to the mission. With approximately 646 staff (as of 31 December 2021), the operation’s assets are the Greek and Italian ships HS Limnos and ITS Foscari ; a German and a Portuguese P-3C Orion maritime-patrol aircraft; small reconnaissance aircraft from Greece, France, Luxembourg and Poland; and an Italian drone. The operation has been deemed under-resourced for its assigned task – it has rarely had more than one vessel, with the French destroyer Jean Bart and the Greek frigate Hydra having been deployed together for just two weeks, between 14 and 28 May 2020. The operation is echoing the problems encountered by its predecessor, Operation Sophia, which had prompted then HR/VP Federica Mogherini to observe that the EU maintains ‘naval operations without naval assets’. The current operation commander is Rear Admiral Stefano Turchetto. On 26 March 2021, the Council decided to extend the operation’s mandate until 31 March 2023.