Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I move:

That Dáil Éireann approves Ireland's accession to the Memorandum of Understanding concerning the principles for the establishment and operation of a Battlegroup to be made available to the European Union in the second half of the year 2016.

The memorandum has already been signed by the other participants in the battle group, namely, Germany, Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

I agree with the point made by many that the term "battle group" is unfortunate and misleading. It describes the force size rather than its role and is a standard technical military term for a battalion-sized force with support elements comprising 1,500 personnel. Their role is to provide an initial entry force in a crisis management or humanitarian situation or to reinforce an existing mission. They would be better described as a rapid response group or a peace management force. EU battle groups have a readiness to deploy within five to ten days on a range of possible missions, sustainable for 30 days and extendable to 120 days.

I will briefly outline the background to Ireland's participation in the German battle group. The ambition of the EU is to be able to respond rapidly to emerging crises. This is a key objective in the continued development of the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy, CDSP. The purpose of the battle groups is to undertake operations known as the Petersberg Tasks. These include, inter alia, humanitarian and rescue tasks, peacekeeping tasks, joint disarmament operations, military advice, conflict prevention and post-conflict stabilisation.

A central tenet of Irish foreign policy is support for the multilateral system of collective security represented by the United Nations. In this regard, Ireland has worked to uphold the primary role of the Security Council in the maintenance of international peace and security. Our commitment has found expression in Ireland's long-standing tradition of participating in UN peacekeeping operations. Participation in EU battle groups represents another means for Ireland to express our commitment to the UN and the maintenance of international peace and security.

Concerns are sometimes expressed that our participation in battle groups may pose a threat to our military neutrality. This, of course, is not the case. Ireland's traditional policy of military neutrality is unaffected by our participation. The guarantees under the Lisbon treaty and Ireland's declaration make this clear. We are not and will not become part of any military alliance or permanent military formation. We will not enter into any mutual defence arrangement. That position remains unchanged. In the case of battle groups, each participant retains the right to deploy or not to deploy its forces irrespective of an EU decision to launch a battle group operation. Equally, each battle group participant retains the sovereign right to withdraw its contingent at any time. As such, any deployment of the Irish contribution as part of the German battle group will be subject to the triple lock, which Deputies understand. It is also worth recalling the strong support of the UN for the EU's efforts in this regard. During his visit to Ireland in May, the UN Secretary General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, commented positively on the EU-UN relationship and the importance of having a rapid reaction capacity.

While no battle group has deployed to date, which is much to the frustration of some nations, the EU battle group concept has yielded many benefits to developing improved interoperability between the Defence Forces and the forces of other EU member states. Ireland's active engagement in battle groups and across the range of activity under the Union's CDSP enhances our capacity to influence the ongoing development and evolution of the rapid response capacity of the EU and helps to shape policy in a manner that is consistent with our values and our support of multilateralism and for the UN.

The Defence Forces' contribution to this battle group will only arise should the battle group be deployed to undertake an operation and should Ireland agree to participate. The Defence Forces' commitment will involve a reconnaissance and intelligence company, together with staff posts at the operational and force headquarters. The total number of Defence Forces personnel involved will be approximately 175. Their role will be to generate and deliver specific information and intelligence to decision makers in support of the planning and conduct of operations. Eight officers and two NCOs are deployed to the battle group headquarters in Strasbourg and engage in training and planning activities.

In summary, Ireland's participation in the battle group will continue to support the development of rapid deployment skills and capabilities within the Defence Forces, together with improved interoperability. It will enhance Ireland's credibility as a provider of professional and effective military forces for crisis management operations and reinforce our standing and ability to influence the ongoing development of the CDSP in support of international peace and security and the EU's relationship with the UN. I commend the motion to the House.

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