The EU is to launch its first-ever joint naval mission - against pirates off the coast of Somalia - on Monday (8 December), with foreign ministers the same day to decide on robust rules of engagement for the flotilla.
Led by the UK, six ships and three surveillance planes are to escort aid and commercial ships through one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, the Gulf of Aden, which has seen almost 100 pirate attacks this year.
The mission, called "Atalanta," is to last one year...
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