The Congress today authorized the deployment of a maritime surveillance aircraft and about 50 soldiers in the EU operation in the Mediterranean against illegal immigration.
The Defense Minister Pedro Morenés, will be the responsible for requesting permission to the Lower House for the participation of the armed forces in the operation in the Central Mediterranean and Southern EU, called EUNAVFOR Med, under the terms approved by the Government last Friday by the Council of Ministers.
This operation aims at combating trafficking human beings and be developed in two phases.
The first, now launched, focusing on network discovery immigration and patrols at sea.
The Spanish contribution in this first phase will be sending 12 soldiers to the headquarters to be established in Rome, and the deployment of a maritime surveillance aircraft, probably a P3 Orion, and up to 50 military air base in Sigonella, Sicily facility located in part of NATO.
The second phase, to be defined, will consist in approaching vessels, and must have a UN resolution.
As explained last Friday after the Cabinet Deputy Prime Minister, Soraya Saenz de Santamaria, the Spanish contribution to the European mission is set at a maximum total of 250 effective, according to the new European operation, and mission duration is one year.
The costs will be financed with the amount allocated to operations abroad.
© EFE 2015
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