The European Council in December 2013 will include a thematic discussion on defence issues, including CSDP. The last such discussion took place in 2008. To this end, the European Council on 13 -14 December 2012 adopted brief procedural conclusions inviting the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Baroness Cathy Ashton, and the Commission, inter alia, to develop further proposals and actions to strengthen CSDP and improve the availability of the required civilian and military capabilities. In summary the conclusions fall into three clusters as follows:
1. Increase the effectiveness, visibility and impact of CSDP;
2.Enhance the development of defence capabilities;
3. Strengthen Europe’s defence industry.
Since the adoption of Council Conclusions in December 2012, Member States have actively addressed this topic through a range of fora, at both political and official level. On 24 July, the Commission’s Communication “Towards a more competitive and efficient defence and security sector" was published. The High Representative’s (HR’s) Report on the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) was circulated on 10 October. Both documents are currently being considered by my officials in consultation with their colleagues from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the Department of An Taoiseach. They will be on the Agenda for the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in Defence Ministers format in Brussels in November and then at the General Affairs Council prior to the European Council.
The forthcoming thematic discussion on Defence issues at European Council meeting of Heads of State and Government in December 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. Ireland also hosted a presidency seminar on the topic.
It is not possible to say whether the European Council meeting of itself will change the nature of public debate in Ireland. However, Ireland has been a strong supporter of the role of the EU in international crisis management through CSDP. There is a need, clearly identified, to ensure that the Union collectively has the capabilities to undertake crisis management operations and for Member States to commit the required capabilities to support operations mandated by the Council. To this end, it is important that the industrial capacity exists within the Union to provide the requisite capabilities. In the case of the Defence Forces, we rely, in many instances, on European suppliers to provide the Defence Forces with the defence capabilities necessary to undertake the roles assigned to them by Government. How the market can continue to provide the required defence capabilities is among the matters which are due to be discussed in December at the European Council.
In relation to the pooling and sharing of defence resources, this remains a matter for national decision on a case-by-case basis and there is no proposal to change this. The concept of pooling and sharing involves groups of Member States coming together and pooling resources so as to retain, maintain and/or enhance their military capabilities which they can make available for crisis management operations. Ireland is also strongly supportive of initiatives to improve capability development for use in crisis management operations in tandem with other member States. In this regard, Ireland has participated in the European Defence Agency (EDA) since 2004 and we are involved in a number of EDA programmes in cooperation with other Member States, in areas such as Force Protection, Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear Protection and Maritime Surveillance.
