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The British withdraw from Operation Sophia

(B2 exclusive) The British will only be an 'associated force', a support force, to the EU maritime anti-trafficking operation in the Mediterranean (EUNAVFOR Med / Sophia). This amounts to a mock withdrawal from the operation


HMS Echo which took part in Operation Sophia is now the flagship of NATO's Operation Sea Guardian (Credit: UK Navy)

What does it mean to be associated?

The British will continue to provide maritime assets on a case-by-case basis to Operation Sophia. But these will no longer operate under Operation Sophia in the European chain of command. They will intervene on a decision taken by the British command, and for the missions they have chosen, in response, if necessary, to a request from Rome (1). Since the summer, therefore, there is no longer a ship displaying the White Ensign (the pavilion of the Cross of St. George) in the operation. This constitutes a singular change (2). The British contributed from the beginning, and this on a regular basis, with a ship and intelligence and information resources, to the operation (read: Faced with the tragedy in the Mediterranean, the United Kingdom responds "present").

Why this decision?

The British made their decision known to European officials, which they quickly implemented. A measure that is due to the upcoming arrival of Brexit (March 2019 normally), but also and above all to the change in Rome's position on the port of disembarkation. The government's decision to abandon its obligation to receive, as a port of disembarkation, migrants and refugees recovered at sea during rescue operations (SOLAS) by ships, was seen as a warning signal. For London, there is no question of ending up with people on board, who could not be disembarked immediately in a nearby port.

The United Kingdom remains very present in the Mediterranean

British ships will continue to patrol the Mediterranean area, where they have two bases (in Gibraltar and Cyprus) and participate in NATO operations. Thus the hydrographic vessel HMS Echo (H-87), which took part in Operation Sophia, thus became the flagship of the NATO operation SeaGuardian.

(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)

(1) A bit like France does in the Indian Ocean by contributing piecemeal to the EU anti-piracy operation (EUNAVFOR Atalanta).

(2) London is not the only one to have its decision. For various reasons, two other countries accustomed to maritime operations - the Netherlands and Belgium - have already decided to no longer provide means for 2018 and 2019.

Ships and planes of the EU Maritime Force in the Mediterranean (EUNAVFOR Med) as part of Operation Sophia (source: EUNAVFOR Med, 10 September 2018)

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).

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