“The goal is to make a political decision already on Monday at the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels” on “a new European naval mission that will include Imasoh Agenor, already operating in the Strait of Hormuz,” so that “as soon as possible” it could extend to the Gulf of Aden and reach the Red Sea. This was announced by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani at a Senate hearing, saying that he was convinced that there was a need for a “European response to the crisis in the Red Sea.” Tajani stressed the need to “strengthen the European military presence in the region to protect freedom of navigation and passage.” He explained that the plan drawn up by Italy in conjunction with France and Germany stipulates that “it is not an offensive mission, but rather a defensive one.” He added that “maritime movement,” explaining that “European military ships will intervene to protect the commercial ships that accompany them.” Tajani stressed “the need of the European Union To achieve progress in the field of defence,” he said that the European naval mission aims to create “a deterrence mechanism to defend maritime traffic throughout the region, up to Suez.”

The Deputy Prime Minister then stressed the importance of establishing an integrated defense system at the continental level. “The Union must make progress on European defence,” and the current context, with the crisis in the Middle East and in the Red Sea in particular, makes this clear. This was announced by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani at a Senate hearing, stressing that “the ultimate goal must be the creation of a European army.” Tajani explained that the army must be able to “carry out peacekeeping missions and intervene very quickly.” In this context, President Farnesina stated that “you cannot have a European foreign policy if there is no European defence.” We want a Europe that has an equal relationship with the United States and with NATO. We want a decisive strengthening of cooperation between the European Union and the National Transformation Programme, which is increasingly necessary in the current international context.