THE NAVY'S LEGAL CHALLENGES. The naval operations of the Common Security and Defense Policy.

The European Union is characterized by the fact that it has no armed forces of its own. Consequently, this international organization has to rely on the contributions of its member states. Spain has always been loyal to this contribution, and since the beginning of the 21st century the Spanish Navy has taken part in naval operations launched to prevent or confront maritime threats, and thus achieve a secure environment. These military operations are not without a legal framework that, as a fundamental part, regulates them and contributes to the success of the mission. However, this has not been an obstacle to the fact that, on occasions, legal loopholes have been detected that have conditioned their final outcome. This book analyzes the main legal challenges that the Spanish Navy has had to face over the years. For this purpose, the nature of those challenges that were brilliantly overcome, as in the case of operation “Atalanta”, and those that encountered obstacles of a different nature, as in the case of operation “Sophia”, will be studied.