The ceremony marking the change of tactical command of the EU Naval Force Mediterranean "IRINI" mission was recently held on board the "Grecale" frigate. During the event, Greek Commodore Prokopios Charitos was appointed as the new commander, succeeding Italian Admiral Armando Simi who has been in command of the task force for the last six months. This designation was made by the Political and Security Committee of the European Union. On this occasion, Rear Admiral Valentino Rinaldi commended Admiral Simi and his team for their dedication and professionalism during their mandate, underlining their crucial support for the maintenance of the UN arms embargo on Libya and for the security of the Central Mediterranean.

Rinaldi also highlighted the essential contribution of the operation, which, thanks to the resources provided by EU member States and the considerable experience accumulated, continues to ensure the effective application of the arms embargo, as well as fighting oil smuggling and human trafficking through information gathering and sharing with the competent international agencies.

The mission command, which alternates its leadership between Italy and Greece every six months, coordinates all naval and air units made available by EU Member States in the central Mediterranean. Both countries also provide the command ship from which the force commander operates, with the support of a multinational staff of about twenty people.