Thursday, September 17, 2015. Aboard the Italian Navy ship Giuseppe Garibaldi, docked at Taranto Naval Base, took place Change of Command cerimony of the European Maritime Force (EUROMARFOR) between the commander of the Spanish Navy fleet (Almirante de la Flota) Admiral Francisco Javier Franco Suanzes (assignor) and the Commander of the Italian Navy fleet, Admiral Filippo Maria Foffi (acceptor).

The ceremony, presided over by the Chief of Defense, General Claudio Graziano, was also attended by military representatives from Euromarfor countries and authorities from the civil society. Euromarfor has been established in 1995 to carry out the missions provided for the Petersberg Declaration, such as sea control, humanitarian missions, peace-keeping operations, crisis response operations, and peace enforcement.

The feasibility and flexibility of the Force were proven since its first activation, during exercise EOLO 96 (April 96), only one year after the signature of the Constitutive Document and less than six months of COMEUROMARFOR Command.

Year after year, more and more time was spent at sea for maritime Exercise and Real World Operations (RWO).

The first RWO was Operation Coherent Behaviour in eastern Mediterranean, in 2002.

This Operation was the first autonomous Operation in EMF’s history and was carried out in the frame of a mandate which had been directly given by the four EMF Nations. During this Operation, EMF was in close cooperation with NATO within the Operation Active Endeavor. Another challenge was taken up by EMF and the Force was activated to take part in a new RWO, Operation Resolute Behaviour in the Indian Ocean, in support of an international coalition through Operation Enduring Freedom and gradually integrated into it between 2003 and 2005.

EUROMARFOR also took part in Operation UNIFIL between 2008 and 2009, under the aegis of the UN, leading the Maritime Task Force as CTF 448. Once again, EMF demonstrated its flexibility and capacity to act under the aegis of a different Organization. In fact this was a historical milestone not only for EMF, but even for the UN, because it was the first UN-led Operation.

The latest activation of EUROMARFOR took place in December 2011, on the occasion of its participation in the EU Operation ATALANTA, in the Indian Ocean. This Operation is still ongoing. Italy takes the Operational Command of Euromarfor for the fourth time since 1995, the year of its establishment.