Pádraig Mac Lochlainn
Question:29 Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Defence if he plans to sign any agreement for Irish Defence Forces to participate in an EU battlegroup during 2013. [6832/12]
View answerWednesday, 8 February 2012
Questions (29)
Written answers
There are no plans to participate in or sign any agreement in relation to an EU Battlegroup in 2013. In relation to rapid response, the EU has the capability to deploy forces at high readiness, broadly based on the Battlegroups concept. The purpose of these Battlegroups is to provide a rapid level of response to developing international crises, allowing the EU to intervene during the critical early stages. To date, no particular location has been identified as suitable for the deployment of a Battlegroup.
Participation in Battlegroups is just one of a number of ways in which Ireland contributes to the EU's CSDP. Ireland participated in the Nordic Battlegroup, which was on standby until 30 June 2011. In 2010 the then Government approved Ireland's participation in the Austro-German Battlegroup, which will be on stand-by for the second six months of 2012. The other members of the Austro-German Battlegroup are Austria, Germany, Czech Republic, Croatia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).
Within the EU itself, a number of committees, including the Political and Security Committee and the EU Military Committee, keep the issues of troop deployments, including rapid response, under constant review in consultation with all EU Member States.