The European Union said on Wednesday that member states would contribute to the US-led Operation Prosperity Guardian, aimed at protecting merchant shipping in the Red Sea from attacks by Houthi rebels from Yemen.
Josep Borrell, the EU’s top foreign policy official, commented on the EU’s involvement in Operation on X:
Irresponsible Houthi actions are a threat to freedom of navigation in the Red Sea. We will intensify our information sharing and increase our presence with additional naval assets. This demonstrates the EU’s role as a maritime security provider. We match words with action.
Britain has already done its part on Tuesday by sending its HMS Diamond, one of the Royal Navy’s most modern warships, to the region, the Independent reported. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak emphasised that the move was not related to Israel’s ongoing incursion into the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, but was an attempt to protect the global economy. He said:
As a maritime nation, we’ve always believed very strongly in free and open shipping lanes. Malign actors are now threatening that. This is about malign forces and the Houthis, in particular, taking advantage of the situation to try and escalate it. And that is having a real impact on the global economy, and we are playing our part as part of a broader international coalition.
Politico reports that France is considering sending its destroyer to the region and Italy will send a warship.
Other countries were waiting to see what the EU would do. The European bloc is already conducting the Atalanta anti-piracy mission off the coast of Somalia, led by Spain and involving ships from Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Italy.
Spain was mentioned by the US as a member of the coalition to fight piracy in the Red Sea, but Madrid later clarified that it would not participate in the mission, which has no support from NATO.
Germany is also in no hurry to take part in the operation. Government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit told reporters that the country’s military needs a parliamentary mandate to participate in the mission, as the coalition involves the potential use of force but does not fall under the auspices of the EU, NATO or the UN.
