EU AT WAR: France and Italy in FURIOUS row as Europe plans to move naval base after Brexit

The current base is located in the UK in Northwood, with Britain having ran Europe’s naval station for a number of years.

Now France have backed Spain to be the new home of Europe’s navy after March 29, 2019 – and Italian officials are furious.

The French and Spanish Defence Ministers agreed the stitch-up this week, declaring that ‘Operation Atalanta’ against piracy in the Indian Ocean needs a Spanish base.

The Cadiz base, which is controlled by the Spanish navy, will be the home of the European navy – having launched in December 2008 to combat Somali pirates in the region.

Spain is the only country with a permanent presence in the European naval operation, contributing 33 vessels in ten years and an air detachment at the Djibouti base.

At the moment Spain has the supply vessel Patiño deployed and a P-3M Orion Aircraft too.

The deal will mean that Spain transfers its support to France – who want their base in Brest to house the Maritime Security Centre for the Horn of Africa (MSC HoA).

This EU External Action initiative – set to be in Brest if the plan progresses – aims to monitor naval transit 24 hours-per-day through the Gulf of Aden and towards the Red Sea, which is vital for oil supplies through the Persian Gulf.

But Italy want to launch their own candidate, perhaps with British support, to gazump the Franco-Iberian axis.

The Spanish base in Cadiz already hosts four US destroyers deployed by NATOs anti-missile defence and US naval operations.

There are fears that such a concentration of naval heft could be unwise – and Italians are keen to ensure that they retain a significant role in European defence.