Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 March 2022
61. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Defence the input he and officials from his Department have had in the preparation of the EU Strategic Compass; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13309/22]
View answerThe Strategic Compass is an exercise intended to provide enhanced political and strategic direction for EU security and defence policy for the next five to ten years. The latest draft of the Strategic Compass sets out an analysis of the strategic environment and, in particular, the security and defence challenges faced by the EU, including emerging threats, the increasingly contested multipolar world and the strategic implications for the EU. The recent invasion of Ukraine shows the value of having such a strategic document.
A first draft of the Compass document was presented to Foreign and Defence Ministers on 15 November 2021 . The draft followed on from several months of discussions at both political and official level, including during a “strategic dialogue” phase, which also saw the exchange and signature of numerous non-papers by Member States. A revised version was subsequently presented in January with a second revised version presented in February, each incorporating Member State suggested amendments and capturing recent events. A third revised version issued this week and is currently being discussed.
Officials from both the Department of Defence and the Department of Foreign Affairs continue to work closely together on Ireland’s input to the Strategic Compass. Ireland’s full engagement in work on the Compass has been reflected in our co-signature of non-papers during the dialogue phase covering broad areas of the Compass’s work including Partnerships, Crisis Management, and Civilian CSDP. We also produced a paper on Force Generation, which presents a practical solution to the manpower issues faced by military CSDP missions. My officials continue to attend all relevant working group and other meetings to discuss the text of the Strategic Compass ahead of its planned adoption later this month.
Negotiations are continuing with discussions expected to take place on the third revised version this week, culminating at the Foreign Affairs Council on 21 March with the European Council expected to endorse the final product at its meeting on 24 March.
