Background

The EU remains a strong supporter of the United Nations in Libya and of its Special Representative in his attempts to bring about a lasting solution to the political and security crisis that has beset the country for eight years since the uprising in February 2011. Since then, the ongoing conflict and instability in the country, the external interferences, the institutional divisions, the proliferation of a vast amount of unchecked weapons and the economy of predation continue posing a threat to international peace and security.

Against this backdrop, participants at the Berlin Conference on Libya on 19 January 2020 committed to fully respect and implement the arms embargo established by the United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR) 1970 (2011), 2292 (2016) and 2473 (2019). In this context, the EU decided to launch Operation IRINI in the Mediterranean aimed at implementing the UN arms embargo on Libya by using aerial, satellite and maritime assets. In parallel with the launch of Operation IRINI on 31 March 2020, the existing EUNAVFOR MED Operation in the Mediterranean, Operation SOPHIA, permanently ceased its activities.

Mission & goals

The European Union is stepping up its efforts to implement the UN arms embargo on Libya, thereby contributing to the peace process in the country, through the launch of a Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) military operation in the Mediterranean. These efforts resulted in the launch of the Operation EUNAVFOR MED IRINI (Irini is the Greek word for “peace”) with the main task to implement the UN arms embargo on Libya through the use of aerial, satellite and maritime assets. As secondary tasks, EUNAVFOR MED IRINI also:

• monitors and gathers information on illicit exports from Libya of petroleum, crude oil and refined petroleum products
• contributes to the capacity building and training of the Libyan Coast Guard and Navy in law enforcement tasks at sea
• contributes to the disruption of the business model of human smuggling and trafficking networks through information gathering and patrolling by planes

IRINI’s headquarters are located in Rome, Italy. The mandate of Operation IRINI has been initially set for one year, until 31 March 2021, and is under the close scrutiny of the EU Member States, that exercise the political control and the strategic direction through the Political and Security Committee (PSC), under the responsibility of the Council.

Composition

The composition of EUNAVFOR MED IRINI changes constantly due to the frequent rotation of units and varies according to contribution of Member States. In September 2020, when IRINI just reached the Full Operation Capability it could count on 3 ships and 5 aircraft and on 600 personnel, contributed by 21 Member States.

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