Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There was a joint meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council of the European Council with representatives from the Departments of Defence and Foreign Affairs and Trade on 13 November. There are normally a number of such meetings throughout the year. At that meeting the Minister, Deputy Coveney, indicated that it was our intention to join PESCO, as did I in my contribution that day, but that we had to go through a process back home. I indicated to my European colleagues that it was my wish to join PESCO. A number of them inquired as to why we had not signed up on that occasion when a number of other neutral countries had.

We brought it to the Government on Tuesday, 21 November. It was on the Dáil Order Paper on either 22 November or 23 November, it is before the committee this evening and we will be bringing it before the Dáil tomorrow for approval. The motion we will be bringing to the Dáil tomorrow is that we recommend that the Government signs up to PESCO.