Spanje zet extra fregat in voor de strijd tegen de piraterij (en)
The Defence Minister, Carme Chacón (centre), greets the crew of the ship, Numancia, moments before setting sail from Base de Rota (Cadiz), on 23 March, to join the EU’s Operation Atalanta to combat piracy in the waters of the Indian Ocean. EFE
Appearing before the Subcommittee on Security and Defence of the European Parliament in Brussels, Spain's Minister of Defence, Carme Chacón, said that Operation Atalanta has reduced piracy, as the number of attacks at sea ending in the kidnapping of ships has been significantly reduced.
Ms Chacón called for further measures to increase the surveillance of ports used by the pirates' mother ships, and announced that Spain would send an ocean patrol vessel to the Indian Ocean to assist in this task.
She stressed, however, that the root of this phenomenon lies on land, and that the piracy problem should be tackled from this perspective, given the fact that Somalia has no security structures to deal with these actions.
The Minister also made reference to the mission to train Somali troops agreed by the EU-27, which will be carried out in Uganda.
At the same time, Chacón emphasised the need to guarantee that pirates captured by European forces receive a fair hearing, if the "credibility" of the mission is to be maintained, and suggested trying to reach new agreements with African countries such as Tanzania, South Africa and Mauritius to try prisoners in their territory, as is the case in Kenya and the Seychelles.
According to the Minister, “One of the greatest risks is that posed by failed states”, adding that controls should be stepped up with the transitional Somali government.
Afghanistan
Speaking about the mission in Afghanistan, Chacón described it as the “toughest and most complex” of all current EU missions, and in response to a question asked during the session, pointed out the US is aware of the EU's commitment to the Afghan theatre of operations, as 40% of new forces being dispatched to the country are provided by the European Union.
EU-Pakistan Summit
On the subject of Pakistan's role in the area, Carme Chacón said that it is “essential” to the stability of the region, and mentioned the possibility of holding an EU-Pakistan summit in Brussels at the end of April, although the exact date has not yet been set.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
In answer to a question on Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chacón indicated that “it is as important to start a mission in good time as it is to conclude it”, and said that Operation Altea has been successful, and that “the remaining problems are political”. For this reason, the future of the operation will be discussed in the Foreign Affairs and Defence Council meeting to be held in April in Luxembourg.
Haiti
With regard to the mission in Haiti following the earthquake, Chacón declared that the EU has gone to great lengths to provide aid, and Spain “has done its utmost to help the people of Haiti”.
She stressed, however, the need to increase the EU's rapid response capability in catastrophes and humanitarian crises, and recommended that discussions start on whether the EU can use so-called rapid response “Battle Groups” in these situations.
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