EU set to extend Somalian anti-piracy force until 2016

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Operation Atalanta, the EU’s anti-piracy project off the coast of Somalia, is expected to continue to receive funding, despite the absence of a successful Somali pirate attack on a commercial vessel for more than a year and a half. For the EU however, maintaining the €100m+ per year operations is not just about the keeping the supply route for Middle Eastern oil and Asian consumer goods open, but it is also closely intertwined with its attempts to control migration flows.