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Political and defence Europe (by Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)

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After handing over pirates, the Absalon joins the CTF-151

(B2) The Danish ship "Absalon" is on its way back to the Gulf of Aden. After the crew change and the handing over of five suspected pirates to the Dutch authorities, the Absalon will join the international coalition CTF-151, led by the Americans and created in January 2009 (*).

The Five Pirates presumed, arrested at the beginning of January, are currently detained at an undisclosed location in the Netherlands. They were presented to a judge in Rotterdam last Wednesday (February 11), and their custody may continue for two weeks. Dutch investigators traveled to Kuwait to interview the crew of the merchant ship flying the flag of the Netherlands Antilles, the Samanyulo. The District Court of Rotterdam was designated as having jurisdiction. The offense of piracy is one of the oldest offenses prescribed by the Dutch criminal code. But this provision had never been used, at least recently.

(NGV)

(*) It should be noted that Denmark does not participate in EU military defence operations – and therefore in the EUNAVFOR Atalanta operation – because it benefits from an “opt-out” on all issues.
military since the ratification of the Maastricht Treaty. This does not prevent the kingdom of the Little Mermaid from actively participating in a number of military operations around the world, alongside the Americans in particular.

Nicolas Gros Verheyde

Chief editor of the B2 site. Graduated in European law from the University of Paris I Pantheon Sorbonne and listener to the 65th session of the IHEDN (Institut des Hautes Etudes de la Défense Nationale. Journalist since 1989, founded B2 - Bruxelles2 in 2008. EU/NATO correspondent in Brussels for Sud-Ouest (previously West-France and France-Soir).