EU set to expand Libya naval mission to counter Russia's shadow fleet
EU ambassadors approved a draft mandate on Wednesday to widen the IRINI naval mission's role to target Russia's shadow fleet and protect subsea infrastructure.
The European Union is preparing to expand the job of its Mediterranean naval mission well beyond Libya, giving it a direct role in tracking Russia's shadow fleet and guarding undersea cables and pipelines. EU ambassadors signed off on the plan on Wednesday, according to a Council document seen by Euronews.
The mission, known as EUNAVFOR MED IRINI, would run until 31 March 2029 under the draft, two years beyond its current end date of March 2027, with a budget of €16.88 million. It was set up in 2020 purely to police the UN arms embargo on Libya.
Curbing Russia's shadow fleet would become one of IRINI's formal duties for the first time, the draft text says, though the mission would still have to work within the UN's Law of the Sea and other international rules. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in June that the mission had already started stopping and boarding vessels suspected of belonging to that fleet, even before any change to its mandate.
Guarding undersea infrastructure, including fibre-optic cables and pipelines, would become a bigger part of the mission's work too, and it would get scope to trial new maritime-protection technology, according to the draft. The plan also puts more weight on tracking illicit activity at sea and threats to EU security and economic interests.
None of IRINI's existing jobs would disappear: stopping migrant smuggling and human trafficking, enforcing the Libyan arms embargo, blocking the country's illegal oil exports, and training Libya's coastguard and search-and-rescue services would all stay part of the mission. The new mandate would additionally let IRINI use naval exercises and diplomacy to build ties beyond Libya, naming Egypt, Tunisia and Lebanon as potential partners.
EU finance and economy ministers are expected to give the plan formal approval at a meeting on 9 October, after which the text would be published in the bloc's official journal, Euronews reported.
What we know
- EU ambassadors approved a draft plan on Wednesday to widen the IRINI naval mission's mandate to include countering Russia's shadow fleet, according to a Council document seen by Euronews.
- The mission would run until 31 March 2029, with a budget of €16.88 million; its current mandate expires in March 2027.
- Curbing Russia's shadow fleet would become an explicit IRINI task for the first time, alongside a bigger role protecting undersea cables and pipelines.
- EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in June that IRINI had already begun boarding vessels suspected of belonging to Russia's shadow fleet.
- Formal approval is expected at a meeting of EU economy and finance ministers on 9 October.
Not yet confirmed
- How many additional ships or resources will be assigned to the expanded mission has not been detailed.
Why it matters for Europe
IRINI began five years ago with a single task: policing an arms embargo off Libya's coast. Giving it a formal role against Russia's shadow fleet turns that narrow mission into a tool aimed directly at ships Brussels suspects of dodging sanctions, and hands it fresh responsibility for protecting seabed cables and pipelines that the draft flags as open to interference.
Sources
Reported by 2 reports from 2 independent outlets in 2 countries.
Intelligence file
PremiumSee how we verified this story
Confidence and impact scores, the full situation report and the event timeline.
Launch offer: free for members until 31 October 2026
Questions and answers
- What is the EU planning to do with its Mediterranean naval mission?
- EU ambassadors approved a draft plan to widen EUNAVFOR MED IRINI's mandate to include countering Russia's shadow fleet and protecting undersea infrastructure, according to a document seen by Euronews.
- What is EUNAVFOR MED IRINI?
- It is an EU naval mission set up in 2020 to enforce the UN arms embargo on Libya; the draft would extend it to 2029 and widen its role.
- When will the new mandate take effect?
- Formal approval is expected at a meeting of EU economy and finance ministers on 9 October, after which it will be published in the EU's official journal.
This article was written with AI assistance from 2 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.