Operation Triton

Operation Triton was an operation conducted by Frontex, the European Union's border security agency. The operation, under Italian control, began on 1 November 2014 and ended on 1 February 2018 when it was replaced by Operation Themis. It involved voluntary contributions from 15 other European nations (both EU member states and non-members). Voluntary contributors to Operation Triton included Croatia, Iceland, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Switzerland, Romania, Poland, Lithuania and Malta.^[1] The operation was undertaken after Italy ended Operation Mare Nostrum, which had become politically unpopular and costed the Italian government €9 million per month for an operation that lasted 12 months. The Italian government had requested support from the other EU member states, but the request was declined.^[2]