People smuggling

"EUNAVFOR MED - Operation SOPHIA" - Six Monthly Report: June, 22nd to December, 31st 2015

The report, dated 29 January 2016, is written by the Operation Commander, Rear Admiral Enrico Credendino of the Italian Navy, for the European Union Military Committee and the Political and Security Committee of the EU. It gives refugee flow statistics and outlines the performed and planned operation phases (1, 2A, 2B and 3), the corresponding activities of the joint EU forces operating in the Mediterranean and the future strategies for the operation.

One of the main elements within the report is the planned, but still pending transition from Phase 2A (operating in High Seas) to Phase 2B (operating in Libyan Territorial Waters) due to the volatile government situation in Libya, where the building of a 'Government of National Accord' (GNA) is still under way.

The report presses the responsible EU bodies to help speed up the process of forming a 'reliable' government in Libya that in return is expected to 'invite' EU forces to operate within their Territorial Waters (Phase 2B) and later even give permission to extend the EU military operations onshore (phase 3).

In the last month there have been half a dozen high level meetings between EU and US officials (including with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Rome) as it is claimed by the US military that upto 5,000 Islamic State fighters have taken control over parts of the Libyan coast.