On Monday 19 February, the European Union officially launched its mission to protect maritime traffic in the Red Sea, which has been disrupted by attacks from Houthi rebels, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced. Ednews reports the following citing Le Figaro.

Several countries, including Belgium, Italy, Germany and France, have announced their intention to take part in the mission, which has been dubbed "Aspides" ("shield" in ancient Greek). Spain has indicated that it will not be taking part.

"Europe will ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, in coordination with our international partners", said a delighted Ursula von der Leyen on X (formerly Twitter). The mission was officially launched by the EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels. "We have just approved the launch of the naval operation Aspides, in which Italy will have command of the forces", Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani confirmed on X.

The mission is planned for one year, with the possibility of renewal. This does not mean that it will be immediately operational: it will be up to its command to determine when it will have sufficient resources to be fully operational, which should take "a few weeks", according to a European diplomat.