The Twenty-Seven have revised this Monday the mandates of their naval operations ASPIDES and ATALANTA with the aim of broadening their role in the field of maritime security in the Red Sea and in the western Indian Ocean.
In particular, both missions will add new functions focused on the collection and exchange of information about suspicious activities linked to critical underwater infrastructures, such as cables and pipelines.
Regarding ASPIDES, launched in 2024 in reaction to the Houthi attacks, the updated mandate also authorizes providing support for the training of maritime forces in Djibouti and strengthening cooperation with the Yemeni coast guard.
In parallel, operation ATALANTA, underway since 2008 in the western Indian Ocean and the Red Sea, will cease to be responsible for the surveillance of illicit charcoal trade, although it will retain other missions such as the control of arms trafficking, drugs, and illegal fishing.
Furthermore, both operations will intensify their coordination with other European initiatives on maritime security. The two missions, extended until February 2027, are part of the EU's strategy to protect key global trade routes and contribute to the stabilization of the region.