By Alexandra Brzozowski | Euractiv Est. 5min 16-01-2024 (updated: 17-01-2024 ) Content-Type: News News Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Belgian frigate Leopold I in support of operation AGENOR in 2021. [EMASOH/AGENOR] Euractiv is part of the Trust Project >>> Languages: Français | Deutsch | SlovakPrint Email Facebook X LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram EU member states gave initial backing on Tuesday (16 January) for the creation of a naval mission to protect ships from attacks by Iran-backed Houthi terrorists in the Red Sea, according to several European diplomats. The step comes as EU ambassadors in the bloc’s Political and Security Committee, responsible for foreign and defence policy, had given its initial support for a proposal by the EU’s diplomatic service EEAS, led by the EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell. The EU proposal, reported by Euractiv last week, suggested creating “a new EU operation” that would “act in a broader area of operation, from the Red Sea to the Gulf”. The next steps will be for EU foreign ministers to discuss the new mission on 22 January, in order to establish it by 19 February at the latest, so it can become operational shortly afterwards, the diplomats said. Several EU diplomats stressed the need for the process to be fast-tracked, given the tensions in the region. “The consensus is that we have to act quickly and pragmatically,” one of the EU diplomats said. EU mulls potential joint naval mission in Red Sea amid Houthi attacks EU member states are expected to discuss a potential new naval operation, which would aim to re-establish security and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, as Yemen’s Houthis continue to attack ships in the vital international trade route. The new mission is expected to be based on Agenor, a French-led joint surveillance operation covering the entire Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and part of the Arabian Sea, conducted in the framework of an umbrella mission dubbed European Maritime Awareness in the Strait of Hormuz (EMASoH), located between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, and Portugal are currently taking part in EMASoH. The mission would work in coordination with other like-minded partners in the region as part of efforts to stop disruptions to the key trading route, EU diplomats said. Last year, the EU initially explored the possibility of using its anti-pirate mission, Atalanta, which operates in the Indian Ocean and protects shipping off Somalia. Spain, however, opposed the idea and refused any role in a Red Sea mission, keeping out of the conflict for domestic political reasons, while saying it was open to a new mission. In Tuesday’s discussion, Spain practised ‘constructive abstention’ and did not intervene in the discussion so as not to stand in the way of the initiative, two EU diplomats confirmed. France and Italy’s defence ministers agreed in a Tuesday phone call on the need for more Franco-Italian cooperation for dealing with the current problems in the Red Sea, including stressing support “a European mission that could also be joined by non-EU member countries who share the priority of free navigation”. The United States said last month it and other countries would patrol the Red Sea in a new mission, dubbed Operation Prosperity Guardian, to try to allay fears that disruption in one of the world’s top trading arteries could hit the global economy. But some EU member states, however, have raised reservations about the idea of being part of a mission under US command. US and British forces began precision strikes against Houthi weapons stores and drone launch sites on Friday (12 January). The Iran-backed Houthi movement has vowed to keep up its attacks in the busy shipping lanes. Although Houthi say the attacks are a direct response to the Israel-Hamas war, dozens of vessels without links to Israel have been targeted. Economic repercussions Many commercial shippers have diverted vessels to other routes following attacks in the Red Sea by the Houthi militants, who control much of Yemen and say they are acting in solidarity with the Palestinians as Israel and Hamas wage war in Gaza. The growing risks for Red Sea shipping were underscored Tuesday when a Greek freighter was hit by a missile off the Yemeni coast, according to international shipping tracker data. Disruptions to Red Sea shipping caused by Houthi attacks will push up prices of consumer goods, an executive from port and freight operator DP World said on Tuesday as a missile struck another vessel in the region. “The cost of goods into Europe from Asia will be significantly higher,” DP World CFO Yuvraj Narayan told Reuters at the annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland. “European consumers will feel the pain (…) It will hit developed economies more than it will hit developing economies,” the Dubai-based logistics company’s finance chief added. [Edited by Zoran Radosavljevic] Read more with Euractiv In Davos, Zelenskyy urges West to keep course to stop 'predator' RussiaUkraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the West on Tuesday (16 January) to show a united front against Russian President Vladimir Putin and to step up its support for Kyiv, especially air defence, to ensure that Moscow does not prevail in the war.
