EU to expand Mediterranean naval mission to target Russia’s shadow fleet

Brussels is ready to expand its naval mission off Libya into a broader Mediterranean security operation targeting Russia’s shadow fleet and threats to critical maritime infrastructure.

The mission, codenamed EUNAVFOR MED IRINI, will be extended until March 31, 2029. Created in 2020 to enforce the United Nations arms embargo on Libya, the operation will take on a broader role in monitoring illegal activity, protecting infrastructure and combating migrant smuggling.

Its current mandate expires in March 2027. The draft would extend it for another two years, with a budget of €16.88 million, while significantly expanding its scope.

In June, the EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said the operation had changed its rules of engagement and had begun boarding vessels suspected of belonging to Russia’s shadow fleet.

The revised mandate would explicitly make curbing Russia’s shadow fleet one of IRINI’s tasks. It says the operation should contribute to this effort while respecting the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and other international rules.

The text also places greater emphasis on maritime situational awareness, including the detection and monitoring of illegal activities and threats to the EU’s security and economic interests.

The operation would support efforts to protect critical maritime infrastructure, such as fiber-optic cables and undersea pipelines, and would be able to test and pilot new technologies for maritime protection.

IRINI’s existing role includes combating the smuggling of migrants and the trafficking of human beings by helping to disrupt the business model of smuggling and trafficking networks.

The revised text specifies that IRINI will support “the detection and monitoring of migrant smuggling and trafficking networks through intelligence gathering and air patrols on the high seas” in its approved area of operations.

Enforcement of the UN arms embargo on Libya and the measures against the country’s illegal oil exports will remain part of the mandate. The operation will also continue to provide capacity building and training for Libyan maritime law-enforcement and search-and-rescue institutions.

The revised mandate also gives more weight to regional cooperation in maritime security. IRINI will act as a platform for cooperation and will use diplomacy and naval exercises to explore opportunities beyond Libya with other interested countries, naming Egypt, Tunisia and Lebanon.

EU ambassadors gave the mandate the green light on Wednesday. Formal approval is expected at the meeting of economy and finance ministers on October 9, after which it will be published in the EU’s official journal.