Middle East

EU considers sending naval mission to Red Sea

European countries have been split over how to respond to attacks by Yemen-based Houthis

A ship on the Suez Canal heads towards the Red Sea. European countries including France, Spain and Italy have publicly distanced themselves from a US-led operation to protect commercial ships launched in recent weeks. Photograph: Sayed Hassan/Getty Images

Naomi O’Leary's face
Naomi O’Leary Europe Correspondent
Fri Jan 12 2024 - 20:27

The European Union is discussing whether to send a joint naval mission to the Red Sea to counter attacks by Houthi rebels on ships that has disrupted global trade routes.

The first discussions took place this week over what form the mission could take, its mandate, which countries might join it, and whether it has sufficient support among member states to go ahead.

European countries have so far been split over how to respond to the attacks by the Houthis, a Yemeni armed group that began attacking ships with missiles and drones in October in a show of solidarity with Palestinians and with the aim of damaging Israel.

The Netherlands was among the countries that provided support for strikes by the United States and United Kingdom on Houthi targets in Yemen that hit 16 locations overnight into Friday as the conflict deepened.

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The Netherlands, Germany and Denmark cosigned joined a joint statement with the UK and US in the wake of the strikes, saying they were “intended to disrupt and degrade the capabilities the Houthis use to threaten global trade and the lives of international mariners in one of the world’s most critical waterways”.

However, several European countries including France, Spain and Italy have publicly distanced themselves from a US-led operation to protect commercial ships launched in recent weeks, Operation Prosperity Guardian, amid concerns that it risks widening the conflict in the Middle East.

Seeking to forge a joint path for the EU on the issue, this week the EU’s foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell began work on proposals for a joint mission, to be considered in advance of a meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels later this month.

A spokesman for Borrell said this week that it was “quite obvious that the EU has an interest in re-establishing security of naval traffic and maritime security in the Red Sea, which is a very important trade channel”.

Global shipping companies have rerouted vessels around Africa to avoid the Red Sea and Suez Canal, which usually handles about 40 per cent of trade between Europe and Asia, increasing transport costs and causing delays for consumer goods, oil and diesel.

The EU already has a maritime security operation in the northwestern Indian Ocean, the Spain-led Atalanta mission which was launched in response to piracy off the Somali coast.

Spain earlier rejected the idea of extending the Atalanta mission to the Red Sea, but said it was open to the idea of creating a new purpose-designed joint EU force.

The EU currently has 12 civilian and nine military operations, made up of member states that choose to join and send personnel. Ireland takes part in EU missions in Mali, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in support of Ukraine, and in a naval operation enforcing a United Nations arms embargo on Libya.

With discussions in Brussels at a very early stage, there was little indication of Ireland’s position towards a potential EU Red Sea mission, however the Government is seen as unlikely to support taking part

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