Trade protection
EU states agree on military action in the Red Sea
According to government sources, Germany wants to take part in the military operation in the Red Sea with the frigate “Hessen”.
© Hauke-Christian Dittrich / DPA
The EU states now want to better protect merchant ships after the attacks by the Houthi rebels in the Red Sea – militarily.
The EU states have reached a political agreement in principle on the start of a military operation to secure merchant shipping Red Sea achieved. EU Foreign Affairs Representative Josep Borrell announced this on Monday evening after a meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels.
According to diplomats, the operation should ideally start next month and end the attacks by militant Islamist Houthis from Yemen. The militant Islamist militia wants to use shelling of ships to force an end to the Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, which followed the unprecedented Hamas massacre in Israel on October 7th.
According to current plans, the EU operation will involve sending European warships and airborne early warning systems to the region to protect cargo ships. However, participation in the US attacks against Houthi positions in Yemen is not planned.
Germany sends frigate to the Red Sea
According to government sources, Germany wants to take part in the military operation with the frigate “Hessen” – provided that the Bundestag issues a corresponding mandate after the EU plans have been completed. The ship is equipped, among other things, with anti-aircraft missiles. It was specifically designed for escort and maritime control. According to the Bundeswehr, it can use its special radar to monitor airspace the size of the entire North Sea.
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On Monday, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called for preparations for the planned EU military operation to be completed quickly. The final details now urgently need to be clarified, she said on the sidelines of the EU meeting. The Houthis’ indiscriminate attacks are also attacking “one of the central arteries of free shipping and thus also of world trade.”
Ships targeted by Houthi attacks
Given the dangers, major shipping companies are increasingly avoiding the shortest sea route between Asia and Europe through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. This now has a significant impact on the global economy. The USA and Great Britain have recently proactively attacked Houthi targets in Yemen.
The EU’s original plan was to simply expand the mandate of the existing anti-piracy operation “Atalanta” in the Indian Ocean for operations in the Red Sea. However, this plan failed due to resistance from Spain, which is currently the lead nation in Operation Atalanta.
Resistance to EU military action
The reason for the veto was a dispute within the Spanish government coalition over the country’s participation in military operations in the Red Sea. Leftists in particular sympathize with the desire to persuade Israel to stop military operations in the Gaza Strip.