Key facts
- Italian defense minister Guido Crosetto said EU governments have taken no concrete steps to strengthen Red Sea shipping protection.
- Crosetto urged the EU in September to bolster its Aspides naval mission, launched in 2024 against Houthi attacks.
- EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas wrote to the bloc's 27 member states urging larger contributions and more than 10 warships.
- Il Sole 24 Ore reported that EU talks on boosting contributions have so far been inconclusive, partly due to reluctance among some members.
- Crosetto said about one third of European operations depend on Italy's contribution, while far larger countries contribute much less.
- Assarmatori says around 40% of Italy's trade with the rest of the world passes through the Suez Canal.
European Union member states have taken no concrete steps to strengthen shipping protection in the Red Sea, Italy's defense minister, Guido Crosetto, said on November 10, adding that governments had not responded to his calls to bolster the bloc's naval mission in the area.
In September, Crosetto urged the EU to reinforce its Aspides mission, launched in 2024 to protect commercial shipping from attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis. "I have yet to see anything concrete," Crosetto told Reuters, though he said EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas had "fully understood" the importance of Italy's request.
After Crosetto's appeal, Kallas wrote to the bloc's 27 member states urging them to increase their contributions, saying more than 10 warships would be needed for the mission to be truly effective. Italian daily Il Sole 24 Ore reported that talks among EU states on boosting contributions have so far been inconclusive, partly because some members with limited resources are reluctant to deploy assets.
"About one third of European operations depend on Italy's contribution. Other countries, far larger than us, contribute much, much less," said Crosetto, a senior member of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government. "If it is right to invest in missions, then it is right that everyone contributes," he added, speaking after an event in Rome.
The body says the US-Israel war on Iran has disrupted maritime routes vital for global trade and energy supplies, including the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Strait of Hormuz, contributing to higher shipping costs and adding to inflationary pressures. According to Assarmatori, one of Italy's main shipowners' associations, around 40% of the country's trade with the rest of the world passes through the Suez Canal at the northern end of the Red Sea.