Background to EUNAVFOR MED IRINI

After the 1st Berlin Conference, the Council of the European Union decided to launch, on 31 March 2020, a new military operation called EUNAVOR MED IRINI focused on implementing the UN arms embargo on Libya.

IRINI is part of the European integrated approach to Libya, which includes political, military, economic and humanitarian efforts to bring stability and security to the country.

The tasks of Operation EUNAVFOR MED IRINI are:

• to counter illegal arms trafficking, supporting the implementation of the arms embargo on Libya based on the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions (core task);
• to gather information on oil smuggling, in particular due to its consequences on the Libyan economy and its possible use to finance the arms market;
• to contribute to the disruption of the migrant smuggling business model by collecting information with aerial assets and sharing it with FRONTEX (The European Border and Coast Guard Agency) and relevant national authorities;
• to assist in the development of the capacities and training of relevant Libyan institutions responsible for law enforcement at sea and Search and Rescue, in particular, to prevent human smuggling. This task is yet to be implemented.

Results of EUNAVFOR MED IRINI

Since its launch, Operation EUNAVFOR MED IRINI has boarded and inspected 30 suspect vessels. On three occasions, IRINI seized the cargos assessed to be in violation of the UN arms embargo and diverted the vessels to a port of an EU Member State. Operation IRINI has also investigated 17.161 merchant vessels through request of information via radio calls (hailing) and visited 692 vessels upon their Masters’ consent (so-called ‘friendly approaches’*.)

Furthermore, the Operation has investigated:

• 1.698 suspect flights
• 25 airports and 16 ports
• provided 65 special reports to the UN Panel of Expert on Libya. Most of these referred to violations or possible violations of the arms embargo and oil smuggling activities in the west and in the east of the country.

Finally, through the embedded Crime Information Cell, the operation issued 92 recommendations for inspection of suspect vessels in EU Member States’ ports to the relevant Law Enforcement agencies, of which 72 were conducted.

These results have demonstrated IRINI’s effectiveness and impartiality.

* Inspections or friendly approaches are always carried out in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions framework, in full respect of the international law, without undermining the vessels’ schedule of activities. (data updated up to 1st of January 2025).