Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 November 2005
49 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if Ireland will be joining a common European defence and security arrangement with other European Union member states; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31913/05]
View answer85 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the position with regard to developments at European level on the agreement of a common EU security and defence arrangement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33296/05]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 49 and 85 together.
The European Security and Defence Policy, ESDP, is an integral part of the Common Foreign and Security Policy, CFSP, and serves the Union's general objectives of peace and stability. These objectives and the provisions governing the ESDP are set out in the Treaties of Amsterdam and of Nice, which were approved by referendum. In this context, the European Union is increasing its ability to contribute to both the civilian and military dimensions of crisis management.
It is important to distinguish between the ESDP, which continues to develop, and the possibility of a common defence. Any move to a common defence would be for decision by the European Council acting unanimously and in accordance with member states' constitutional requirements. At present, there are no proposals for such a move. In any event, Ireland's position is clear. The amendment to Bunreacht na hÉireann in October 2002 precludes Ireland from participating in a common defence. As a consequence, the Irish people would have to amend Bunreacht na hÉireann before Ireland could take part in a common defence.
A total of eleven ESDP missions have been launched to date, as follows. The past operations were: EU military operation in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, fYROM Concordial; EU military operation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, DRC Artemis; and EU rule of law mission in Georgia, EUJUST Themis. The current operations are: EU military operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, EUFOR Althea; EU police mission in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, EUPOL Proxima; EU police mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, EUPM; EU police mission in Kinshasa, DRC, EUPOL Kinshasa; EU integrated rule of law mission for Iraq, EUJUST Lex; EU mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, EUSEC DRC; EU support to AMIS II, Darfur; and EU monitoring mission in Aceh, AMM.
Ireland is participating in three of the Union's current missions. There are 54 members of the Defence Forces serving with EUFOR Althea in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is a follow-on mission, led by the EU, to the NATO-led SFOR. Both missions were authorised by the UN Security Council.
Assistant Commissioner Kevin Carty, of the Garda Síochána, heads the EU Police Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, EUPM. A small number of other gardaí are also serving in this mission.
Ireland is contributing three personnel to the EU's civilian Aceh monitoring mission, which was established on 15 September 2005. All three are members of the Defence Forces, who possess particular skills relevant to the tasks of the mission, which include carrying out the decommissioning of weapons handed over by the Free Aceh Movement, GAM, pursuant to the agreement reached between the movement and the Government of Indonesia on 15 August.
The Union is also continuing to develop its capabilities for crisis management, both military and civilian. The objectives which it has set itself are clearly set out in the Military Headline Goal 2010 and the Civilian Headline Goal 2008.
An important aspect of ESDP is the development of a stand-by military rapid response capacity, in the form of battlegroups, and my colleague, the Minister for Defence, provided information to the House last week on the progress of consideration of the question of Ireland's participation in these. As the Deputy will be aware, the establishment by the EU of such a capacity has received the strong support of the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, and been endorsed in the Outcome Document of the World Summit in September of this year.
The issue of how the Union's existing civilian crisis management capabilities may be further developed is one which is receiving close attention in the light of the aspirations set out in the Civilian Headline Goal 2008 and lessons learned from the civilian missions undertaken to date. It is important that the EU have at its disposal as wide as possible a range of capabilities, to enable it to provide the most appropriate response in a given situation, which may range from a small team of specialist advisers, as in EUJUST Themis in Georgia, to a contingent of several hundred police officers to monitor, mentor and advise a local force, as in EUPM in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
