EU's Red Sea plan shows it seeks autonomy

By moving ahead with its plan to establish its own naval operation to protect commercial shipping in the Red Sea, the European Union has shown it wants to keep strategic autonomy and not act under the banner of the United States.

According to reports, Spain, which opposed previous plans, will not block the latest one, clearing the way for the details to be worked out. There is now a push to get final approval of the plan at the EU foreign ministers' meeting on Jan 22. "The idea is to have a European mission that can be operational as soon as possible," Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said.

While 10 countries supported the US-led air strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, including the EU members Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands, vowing in a joint statement released by the White House "not to hesitate to defend lives and protect the free flow of commerce in one of the world's most critical waterways", the EU is right to try and unite the bloc so it can act on its own initiative.