Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 November 2020
135. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the analysis his Department has carried out into the expected additional cost implications to the Exchequer as a result of our role in the planned European Peace Facility further to the spending review carried out by his Department on expenditure on overseas peace support missions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36703/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe primary purpose of the recent Spending Review on Expenditure on Overseas Peace Support Missions carried out by my Department was to identify the direct and indirect costs of overseas operations by the Defence Forces. While the overall cost of the European Peace Facility was referenced by the paper as a likely source of increased spending in an international defence context, analysis of the cost was not included in the paper's Terms of Reference.
The aim of the European Peace Facility is to provide the European Union with a single off-Budget fund for the period 2021-2027, to run alongside the next Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF). It will finance all Common Foreign and Security Policy actions having military or defence implications. In this regard, it replaces the current African Peace Facility and the Athena mechanism.
As stated in the Spending Review, the €5 billion ceiling agreed for the European Peace Facility represents a significant increase on previous Common Foreign and Security Policy spending. As with other EU contributions, the scale of Ireland's contribution to the European Peace Facility will be assessed based on a Gross National Income distribution key. However, the key used to calculate Ireland's level of contribution has not yet been decided. In addition, no final agreement has yet been reached at EU level on the funding mechanism, and as yet there has been no Government decision on participation. As such, the question of analysis of the cost is an ongoing matter.
It should be noted that any additional cost implications to the Exchequer due to the European Peace Facility will arise in the normal course as a result of EU membership and participation in EU Common Security and Defence Policy, rather than as a result of participation in any overseas peacekeeping operations.
