By Ruth Marsden - 22nd February 2012
The EU has taken a piecemeal approach and I think a thorough reconsideration is needed
Reinhard Bütikofer
The EU has been told it needs to improve its approach to Somalia if the problem of piracy is to be addressed.
The Greens/EFA held a briefing in parliament on Wednesday on the EU approach to Somalia, which looked at the questions of a comprehensive approach to counter-piracy.
The discussion came after the Greens/EFA group commissioned a study on the issue of piracy.
Greens/EFA vice-president Reinhard Bütikofer told journalists that current EU activity in Somalia "shows no sign of getting on top of the problem".
"The EU has taken a piecemeal approach and I think a thorough reconsideration is needed," he added.
The discussion comes the day before the UK is set to hold a conference on Somalia in order to galvanise international efforts in tackling piracy.
Taking place in London, the conference will bring together senior representatives from more than 40 governments and multilateral organisations aiming to deliver a new approach to Somalia.
Bütikofer, a German MEP, said that despite abductions decreasing from 49 in 2010 to 28 in 2011, pirate activity still totalled €121bn in Somalia last year.
Participants also heard that the EU's military operation, EU Atalanta, which is currently under review, may soon see an expansion of its role, enabling soldiers to fight pirates and their infrastructure on Somali shores.
"The further development of EU Atalanta would be an aerial approach. Meaning airplanes and helicopters targeting pirate infrastructure and bases to try and destroy equipment," Bütikofer said.
Bütikofer expects this to be agreed at the next EU council summit on March 1-2, and warned, "We must note that this is a risky situation, and we need to question if it's really worth the risk of collateral damage and possibly making more of a mess."
Co-author of the counter-piracy study Kerstin Petretto said, "Our main find here is that the EU's comprehensive approach still hardly exists."
She argued that the only way to address "the Somalian problem" would be to solve the country's political and social problems. "We need a viable state," she said.
Also a researcher at the institute for peace research and security policy at the university of Hamburg, Petretto urged the EU to take a more comprehensive approach to the issue, adding, "There is too much emphasis on military means."
"The focus needs to be on the Somalian people. Only if the problems there are addressed can piracy be tackled," she argued.
