Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 December 2012
496. Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Defence the formations of the EU Councils of Ministers on which he sits; the number of meetings of that Council held from 9 March 2011 to date in 2012; the number of those meetings he attended; the number attended by a Minister of State; the number attended by an Irish official; and if he will provide the names of those who attended in tabular form. [56544/12]
View answerDuring each European Union Presidency both formal and informal meetings of Defence Ministers are held. There is no separate Defence Ministers' Council within the EU Council of Ministers. However, twice a year - once during each Presidency - Defence Ministers attend the formal Foreign Affairs Council in Defence Ministers’ Format. These Council meetings are held in Brussels or Luxembourg at the invitation of the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Baroness Catherine Ashton.
Since 9 March, 2011 there have been four such meetings on 23 May 2011, 30 November 2011, 22 March 2012 and 19 November 2012. Personally, I was only in a position to attend the meetings held on 30 November, 2011 and 19 November 2012. The meeting on 23 May 2011 coincided with the visit to Ireland of President Obama during which both my Departments were engaged in a range of security issues. I was not in a position to attend the meeting on 22 March 2012 as I was in Australia and New Zealand for the St. Patrick’s Day Programme. Neither of these meetings were attended by a Minister of State on my behalf. Instead, they were attended, on my behalf, by the Secretary General of my Department. The delegation at each of these meetings is contained in the attached tabular statement.
As part of Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU during the first half of 2013, I will host an Informal Meeting of Minister of Defence in Dublin Castle on 12-13 February 2013.
|
Meeting |
Date |
Position |
|
Secretary General, Department of Defence |
||
|
Defence Policy Director, Department of Defence |
||
|
Ambassador to the Political and Security Committee, Brussels |
||
|
Military Representative to the European Union Military Committee, Brussels |
||
|
Foreign Affairs Council with Ministers of Defence |
23rd May 2011 |
Defence Counsellor, Permanent Representation of Ireland to the European Union, Brussels |
|
Minister for Defence |
||
|
Defence Policy Director, Department of Defence |
||
|
Ambassador to the Political and Security Committee, Brussels |
||
|
Deputy Military Representative to the European Union Military Committee, Brussels |
||
|
Foreign Affairs Council with Ministers of Defence |
30th November 2011 |
Defence Counsellor, Permanent Representation of Ireland to the European Union, Brussels |
|
Secretary General, Department of Defence |
||
|
Deputy Defence Policy Director, Dept Defence |
||
|
Ambassador to the Political and Security Committee, Brussels |
||
|
Foreign Affairs Council with Ministers of Defence |
22nd March 2012 |
Defence Counsellor, Permanent Representation of Ireland to the European Union, Brussels |
|
Minister for Defence |
||
|
Defence Policy Director, Department of Defence |
||
|
Ambassador to the Political and Security Committee, Brussels |
||
|
Foreign Affairs Council with Ministers of Defence |
19th November 2012 |
Military Representative to the European Union Military Committee, Brussels |
|
Defence Counsellor, Permanent Representation of Ireland to the European Union, Brussels |
||
|
Foreign Affairs Council with Ministers of Defence |
19th November 2012 (continued) |
Assistant Principal, International Security and Defence Policy, Department of Defence |
