{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-decision-2020-472/introduction",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-decision-2020-472/introduction.json",
  "legislation": "eudn/2020/472",
  "legislation_title": "Council Decision (CFSP) 2020/472 of 31 March 2020 on a European Union military operation in the Mediterranean (EUNAVFOR MED IRINI)",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-decision-2020-472",
  "path": "introduction",
  "kind": "introduction",
  "number": null,
  "heading": "Introductory text",
  "text": "Council Decision (CFSP) 2020/472\nof 31 March 2020\non a European Union military operation in the Mediterranean (EUNAVFOR MED IRINI)\nTHE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,\nHaving regard to the Treaty on European Union, and in particular Articles 42(4) and 43(2) thereof,\nHaving regard to the proposal from the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy,\nWhereas:\n(1)\nOn 19 January 2020, a Conference was held in Berlin on Libya. Participants committed in particular to unequivocally and fully respecting and implementing the arms embargo established by the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1970 (2011) and subsequent Resolutions, in particular UNSCRs 2292 (2016) and 2473 (2019).\n(2)\nOn 12 February 2020, in UNSCR 2510 (2020), the United Nations (UN) Security Council welcomed the Berlin Conference on Libya and endorsed its conclusions, noting that those conclusions represent an important element of a comprehensive solution to the situation in Libya. It also demanded full compliance by all UN Member States with the arms embargo, and further demanded all States not to intervene in the conflict or take measures that exacerbate the conflict.\n(3)\nOn 11 February 2020, in UNSCR 2509 (2020), the UN Security Council extended the measures imposed by UNSCR 2146 (2014) to prevent the illicit export from Libya of petroleum, including crude oil and refined petroleum products, and extended the mandate of the Panel of Experts established by UNSCR 1973 (2011).\n(4)\nOn 17 February 2020, the Council reached a political agreement to launch a new operation in the Mediterranean, aimed at implementing the UN arms embargo on Libya by using aerial, satellite and maritime assets. The operation should, as secondary tasks, contribute to the implementation of UN measures to prevent the illicit export of petroleum from Libya, to capacity building and training of the Libyan Coast Guard and Navy, and to the disruption of the business model of human smuggling and trafficking networks. The Area of Operation and the Area of Interest of the operation should be defined in accordance with the agreed mandate in the relevant planning documents.\n(5)\nIn addition, the Council could decide in future to extend the scope of the operation in order to allow for the use of aerial surveillance within Libyan airspace, in accordance with any applicable UNSCR or with the consent of the Libyan authorities, if it assesses that the necessary legal requirements and political conditions are met.\n(6)\nOn 18 May 2015, the Council adopted Decision (CFSP) 2015/778. EUNAVFOR MED operation SOPHIA has been ongoing since that date, and was extended through Council Decision (CFSP) 2019/1595.\n(7)\nThe Political and Security Committee (PSC) should exercise, under the responsibility of the Council and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (HR), political control over the operation, provide it with strategic direction and take the relevant decisions in accordance with the third paragraph of Article 38 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU).\n(8)\nThe authorisation of the operation should be reconfirmed every four months and the PSC, in exercising its political control and strategic direction of the operation, should be authorised to take such a decision prolonging the operation unless the deployment of maritime assets of the operation produces a pull effect on migration on the basis of substantiated evidence gathered according to the criteria set in the Operations Plan.\n(9)\nPursuant to Article 41(2) TEU and in accordance with Council Decision (CFSP) 2015/528, the operational expenditure arising from this Decision, which has military or defence implications, is to be borne by the Member States.\n(10)\nIn accordance with Article 5 of Protocol No 22 on the position of Denmark, annexed to the TEU and to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), Denmark does not participate in the elaboration and implementation of decisions and actions of the Union which have defence implications. Consequently, Denmark is not participating in the adoption of this Decision, is neither bound by it nor subject to its application, and does not participate in the financing of this operation,\nHAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:",
  "extent": "E+W+S+N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f1",
      "text": "Council Decision (CFSP) 2015/778 of 18 May 2015 on a European Union military operation in the Southern Central Mediterranean (EUNAVFOR MED operation SOPHIA) (OJ L 122, 19.5.2015, p. 31)."
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f2",
      "text": "Council Decision (CFSP) 2019/1595 of 26 September 2019 amending Decision (CFSP) 2015/778 on a European Union military operation in the Southern Central Mediterranean (EUNAVFOR MED operation SOPHIA) (OJ L 248, 27.9.2019, p. 73)."
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f3",
      "text": "Council Decision (CFSP) 2015/528 of 27 March 2015 establishing a mechanism to administer the financing of the common costs of European Union operations having military or defence implications (Athena) and repealing Decision 2011/871/CFSP (OJ L 84, 28.3.2015, p. 39)."
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eudn/2020/472/introduction",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-11-01T15:12:19.986379+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}