Written Answers. - Official Engagements.
John Bruton
Question:
37
Mr. J. Bruton
asked the
Minister for Defence
if he attended the recent informal meeting in Vienna of EU Defence Ministers; the implications, if any, of his attendance at this meeting for defence policy; the subjects discussed; the plans for future meetings; and the person who accompanied him at this meeting.
[24466/98]
Jim Mitchell
Question:
89
Mr. J. Mitchell
asked the
Minister for Defence
if he will outline details of his recent visit to Vienna; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[26722/98]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 37 and 89 together.
At the invitation of the Austrian Minister for Defence I attended a meeting of Defence Ministers of the member states of the European Union in Vienna on 3 and 4 November 1998. I was accompanied by my private secretary, an assistant secretary from my Department and a senior official from the Department of Foreign Affairs.
The invitation from the Austrian Minister was extended in September of this year. Austria currently holds the Presidency of the EU. The meeting, a once-off and informal event, was nondecision making in character and was held outside the institutional framework of the EU. No decisions or conclusions were reached and no final document was, therefore, produced. Defence Ministers of all the 15 EU member states, including the EU neutral states, attended as well as the Secretary General of the Western European Union, Western European Union.
Discussions focused primarily on the development perspectives of European peacekeeping and crisis management with particular emphasis on the practical effect of the inclusion of the Petersberg Tasks in the Treaty of Amsterdam. This reflected a recognition that the need to prevent, manage and resolve conflicts, such as those that have occurred in the former Yugoslavia, is the current key security challenge facing the UN and the international community as a whole.
I found this an area of great interest and, indeed, importance for Ireland in view of our strong commitment to European integration and in consequence of our long history of support for peacekeeping operations. These two fundamental concepts are brought together in Ireland's readiness to contribute to Petersberg Tasks on a voluntary and case-by-case basis, as is our right in accordance with our observer status at the Western European Union.
On the basis of our voluntary and long peace-keeping experience, Ireland is ready to make a continuing contribution to strengthening the international community's conflict prevention and crisis management capabilities and I made this known during the course of the meeting. Indeed, Ireland has, along with our fellow neutral EU member states, and many other non-NATO states, moved into a new dimension of regional peacekeeping through our participation in the Stabilisation Force in Bosnia, SFOR. I found that the Vienna meeting provided a timely opportunity to share experiences in the peacekeeping area with those of other countries with which we have much in common.
A success of the Treaty of Amsterdam is that it maintained a unified approach in relation to the common foreign and security policy — CFSP — in that all member states, including the EU neutrals, could participate in Petersberg Tasks. Ireland considers it important that the EU should seek to implement the new provisions on peace-keeping and crisis management which were the result of lengthy negotiations in the Intergovernmental Conference leading up to the Treaty.
It can be said with some certainty that the Balkan conflict and the lessons drawn from the recent terrible events in the former Yugoslavia were the backdrop to the Treaty of Amsterdam and the treaty's provision in relation to the Petersberg Tasks were aimed at giving the EU capacity to deal more effectively with this type of crisis. As I said earlier, Ireland has indicated willingness to contribute to Petersberg Tasks on a voluntary and case-by-case basis.
As can be seen from what I have outlined, the focus of the meeting was very firmly in the area of peacekeeping and crisis management. My contribution to the discussions was in that context. I was pleased to have had the opportunity to contribute to the meeting and to indicate Ireland's approach to the issues raised.
I am not aware of any plans for further meetings of this nature.
