Eunavfor Med: Fighting Migrant Smuggling under Security Council Resolution 2240 (2015)

To face the extraordinary migration crisis and consequent human tragedy in the Medirettanean, the need has emerged to fight human smugglers and traffickers. The European Union has launched EUNAVFOR MED, a naval crisis management operation aiming at disrupting the business model of human smuggling in the Central Mediterranean. With Resolution 2240(2015) the UN Security Council authorised the EU operation to undertake "all measures commensurate to the circumstances" in order to visit, seize, andd dispose of vessels used by smugglers. This article discusses some issues arising from Resolution 2240 and its implementation by the EU, notably from the viewpoint of the international law of the sea, the rules governing the use of force and human rights law.