Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 8 February 2012
12Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Defence the input he has had in preparation for the Irish Presidency of the EU Council in 2013; if defence cooperation will be a priority for him during the Presidency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6741/12]
View answerThe preparations for the upcoming Irish Presidency of the EU Council in 2013 have been under way since mid-2010. The Departments of the Taoiseach and Foreign Affairs and Trade are the lead Departments in planning for the Presidency. Two interdepartmental committees have been established. The interdepartmental committee for co-ordinating the Presidency, chaired by the Minister of State, Deputy Creighton, is responsible for policy aspects. The interdepartmental administrative planning group, chaired by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, deals with administrative, logistical and resource elements. Officials from all Departments, including my Department and the permanent representation to the EU are represented on these committees.
On the issue of defence, formal and informal meetings are held during each EU Presidency. In consultation with the European External Action Service, EEAS, Ireland will facilitate a formal meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in defence Ministers format and a formal defence policy directors meeting. Both of these formal meetings will be held in Brussels. It is also my intention to host, in Ireland, a number of informal meetings and seminars, including a defence Ministers informal. Usually, the subjects of discussion at the informal meetings range from current military operations, co-operation between the EU and other international organisations, the development of EU military capabilities and ongoing developments in the European Defence Agency.
The agendas for Ireland's Presidency defence related meetings will be considered in consultation with the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Baroness Catherine Ashton, the EEAS and our trio partners, Lithuania and Greece. Both my officials and I will be in regular contact with the High Representative, the EEAS and our trio partners in the lead-up to Ireland's Presidency in order to prepare the defence agenda.
The Minister has given us an indication in his justice portfolio of some of his priorities, for instance, the europeanisation of the Criminal Assets Bureau, CAB. Does he have any specific interests or priorities to progress by using the Presidency agenda in the defence area?
The justice side is somewhat different to the defence side because of the role of the EU representative for foreign affairs and security policy, Baroness Catherine Ashton. I do not wish to comment on it in advance of engaging with her on the agenda. We have particular issues on which we do want to focus which we regard as of importance and to which we believe we can make a contribution. I can mention some of these to the Deputy but I do not wish to go into them in any substantial detail. Effectively, in the context of plenary discussions that have been taking place we hope to advance priorities in the defence realm but no final decisions have been taken regarding the main priorities.
If the Deputy attended those meetings he would know there are several issues that are constantly a focal point of discussion. Some of them are of general importance in the context of the European Union, such as the difficulty with piracy in the Horn of Africa. Colonel Mike Beary is engaged in training Somali troops in Uganda to support the interim government in Uganda. The issue and the area will continue to be one of focus and concern. Issues arise as to how piracy should be addressed and the kidnapping of individuals. There is substantial co-operation between European Union countries in that regard. That area will continue to be one of substantial concern but there is a range of other issues.
Following the discussions that are currently taking place I hope to be in a position to indicate to the House some areas of priority. Unlike justice, in the defence area issues can suddenly emerge that one must prioritise. It may well be that we will not have a final and clear view of priorities until we get into the second half of this year, but I have no doubt the problems in the Horn of Africa will continue, unfortunately, for some considerable time. The European Union is playing an important role in trying to address those difficulties. In the related difficulties in Somalia, Colonel Mike Beary is in charge of a multinational training force which is making a major contribution to assisting to bring the serious problems that exist in Somalia under some level of control so that there is a working defence force within that country. That is a matter of substantial importance because of the difficulties within there.
