Jack Chambers
Ceist:43. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if he will report on the May 2018 meeting of EU defence Ministers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27756/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 26 June 2018
Ceisteanna (43)
Freagraí ó Béal (6 píosaí cainte)
This question is to ask the Minister for Defence if he will report on the May 2018 meeting of EU Ministers and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The informal EU defence ministerial meeting was held in Sofia on 4 and 5 May. The meeting was hosted by Bulgaria, which currently holds the Presidency of the EU.
There were two working sessions over the course of the meeting which was chaired by the High Representative, Ms Federica Mogherini. The two sessions dealt with a range of ongoing developments in regard to EU Common Security and Defence Policy, CSDP, specifically aspects of PESCO and a discussion on perspectives on crisis management.
The PESCO session involved a discussion on the implementation of PESCO and the governance rules for PESCO projects. It was clear at this session that the focus should and will be on positive outcomes for the people of Europe. The work ahead to implement PESCO focuses on the governance arrangements, third country participation and achieving real deliverables through the projects.
The discussion on crisis management reflected on the current security challenges and the role of the EU in support of international peace and security. This session was attended by the UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping and the NATO Deputy Secretary General. This facilitated a reflection on operational co-operation and mutual support between the EU, the UN and NATO, both at the strategic level and also on the ground where units or contingents from each organisation may be deployed in the same theatre of operations.
I welcome the process under way to review the long-standing and important UN-EU Strategic Partnership on Peacekeeping and Crisis Management. I look forward to close engagement with my EU ministerial colleagues in regard to that. Ireland is committed to the development of EU capabilities in the area of crisis management in support of the UN and to enhancing EU-UN co-operation.
Ireland is an active participant in all aspects of CSDP, both civilian and military. We endorse the position that crisis management operations are most effective when part of a wider approach, linking up with diplomacy, development and rule of law instruments. Discussions during this session were constructive and inclusive.
En marge of the meeting, I met with Jean-Pierre Lacroix, UN Under-Secretary-General primarily in regard to UNIFIL and UNDOF, and separately with my UK, Czech and Cypriot colleagues.
While in Sofia, I also attended a meeting of the European Defence Agency steering board.
I thank the Minister of State. At the press conference, Federica Mogherini spoke about how the EU defence package this year entered real implementation and of 17 projects under Permanent Structured Cooperation, PESCO, that are now up and running. Will the Minister of State outline Ireland's position regarding those 17 projects? Ms Mogherini also said that a number of countries had advanced ideas for new PESCO projects. Was Ireland one of those countries? Can the Minister of State elaborate on those projects and the ideas that were advanced? What is his opinion on the discussion regarding potential PESCO projects? Also, the multi-annual financial framework was mentioned, with an explicit heading for defence, and that there will be an off-budget instrument for defence works. Can the Minister of State outline the position on that in an Irish context?
The PESCO commitments will include a regular increase in defence budgets in real terms, collective benchmarks such as an increase in defence investment expenditure to 20% of total defence spending and 2% of total defence spending allocated to research and technology. The benchmarks are for the EU as a whole rather than for individual member states; increased co-operation in cyber defence; develop a database of available and deployable capabilities such as what we do currently with the United Nations; participate in at least one project under PESCO; and use the European Defence Agency, EDA, as a forum for joint capability development.
As the Deputy stated, there are 17 projects that range from the European medical command, European secure software defined radio, the network of logistic hubs, military mobility, the European Union Training Mission Competence Centre, the European training certification centre for European armies, the energy operational function, the deployable military disaster relief capabilities package, the maritime systems for mine countermeasures, harbour and marine surveillance and protection, upgrade of maritime surveillance, cyber threats, cyber rapid response, strategic command and control, armoured infantry fighting vehicles, indirect fire support and crisis response agencies. We are signed up to two of those projects already, namely, the European agency on training mission competence and the upgrade of maritime surveillance.
With regard to the discussion on crisis management attended by the UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping and the NATO Deputy Secretary General, I gather that involved a reflection on operational co-operation and neutral support between the EU, the UN and NATO, both at a strategic level and also on the ground where operations from each may be deployed in the same theatre of operations. What view did the Minister of State take in terms of an Irish context and were any changes mooted? I know this is an informal meeting where decisions are not taken but was anything suggested as being worthy of a decision at a formal meeting and can the Minister of State outline when that might happen?
As the Deputy understands, regarding NATO, we are not members of NATO but we are involved with it in Partnership for Peace. There were no decisions taken at that meeting, as the Deputy stated. It was more for the participation of NATO member states rather than Ireland's participation because of our term of neutrality.