Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 September 2013
1140. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Defence the parameters of the discussions held with ministerial colleagues at the informal meeting of Ministers for Defence in Vilnius, Lithuania on 5 and 6 September 2013; if he will detail any agreements reached; if he will provide an update on matters discussed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37414/13]
View answerThe informal meeting of EU Ministers for Defence took place in Vilnius, Lithuania on Thursday 5 and Friday 6 September 2013. The meeting was chaired by the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Baroness Catherine Ashton and hosted by the Lithuanian Minister of National Defence Mr. Juozas Olekas. NATO Secretary General Mr. Anders Fogh Rasmussen joined the meeting for some working sessions. Preparations for the European Council thematic discussion on security and defence on 19-20 December 2013 dominated discussions throughout the meeting. The informal Defence Ministerial meeting is not a decision-making forum, but rather provides an opportunity for Defence Ministers to discuss current issues and review ongoing progress on Common Security and Defence Policy developments. As the meeting coincided with the Jewish Holy Day, Rosh Hashanah, I was not in a position to attend and was represented by the Secretary General of the Department of Defence, Mr. Michael Howard. The forthcoming Council meeting of Heads of State and Government was a priority issue during Ireland's recent Presidency of the Council of European Union. It was discussed at a number of high level meetings, including the Defence Ministerial which I chaired in Dublin on behalf of the High Representative. I also hosted a seminar on this very topic. This issue will be further discussed at the formal Defence Ministerial scheduled to take place in November at which I expect to attend.
The last time European Heads of State or Government held a discussion on defence matters was five years ago. The Vilnius meeting discussed two documents published in July as part of the preparations for the December meeting: the High Representative’s Interim Report on Common Security and Defence Policy and the European Commission’s Communiqué “Towards a more competitive and efficient defence and security sector”.
On Thursday evening, during the first working session, Ministers discussed the High Representative’s Interim Report on Common Security and Defence Policy and had an exchange of views. The focus was on identifying the main deliverables for the discussion at the level of Heads of State and Government in December, as well as on a possible way forward. On the basis of the discussion, a final report will be submitted to the President of the European Council, Mr. Herman Van Rompuy at the end of September. This report, together with the European Commission’s Communiqué, will feed into the report to be prepared by President Van Rompuy for the European Council.
During the working dinner, delegations discussed the latest developments in Syria and the response of the European Union to the situation there. The Operation and Mission Commanders of the four ongoing EU military missions briefed delegations on the current state of play regarding their missions. These are Operation ALTHEA in Bosnia and Herzegovina; Operation EUNAVFOR ATALANTA the EU’s anti-piracy maritime mission off the coast of Somalia; and the EU Training Missions in Mali and Somalia (EUTM Mali and EUTM Somalia).
On Friday morning, during the second working session, the European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services, Mr. Michel Barnier, briefed delegates on the European Commission Communiqué on the defence and security sector and they had an exchange of views on the document.
