Paul Kehoe (Wexford, 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.

Ireland's participation in the UK-led EU battle group is set in the context of our long-standing national policy. The term "battle group" is an unfortunate title. It is a technical military term intended to describe the size of the force rather that its role. The term does not accurately portray the tasks which such groups, if deployed, can carry out. They are designed to react rapidly to crisis situations and the tasks that are carried out relate to peacekeeping, conflict prevention and assistance to humanitarian operations. When it comes to these tasks, our national policy recognises the primacy of the United Nations. This is recognised in our triple-lock mechanism.

In terms of EU policy, it is my view and that of the Government that the United Nations must continue to be the partner of choice for the EU. It is important, therefore, that we maintain a close engagement and collaborative relationship with the UN. Our traditional policy of military neutrality is unaffectedby our involvement in EU battle groups. The establishment of EU battle groups is something the UN recognises and supports, as they facilitate rapid responses to emerging crisis situations. This is a key objective of the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy.

The purpose of the EU battle groups is to undertake operations as outlined in the Amsterdam treaty. These operations, known as the Petersberg Tasks, include humanitarian and rescue tasks, peacekeeping tasks and tasks of combat forces in crisis management, including peacemaking. In the Lisbon treaty, these tasks were expanded to include joint disarmament operations, military advice and assistance tasks in supporting the reform and restructuring of security services and legal institutions in fragile states, conflict prevention, and post-conflict stabilisation.

A central plank 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 when it comes to international peace and security. This commitment has found expression in Ireland's long-standing tradition of participation in UN peacekeeping operations. Participation in EU battle groups is another means for Ireland to express our commitment to the UN and its principles.

The Defence Forces' contribution to this battle group will comprises five staff posts at both the operational and force headquarters located at Northwood and Catterick in the UK where they will be engaged in training and planning activities. The UK battle group memorandum of understanding is an agreement between the participants comprising the battle group, namely, the UK, Ireland, Sweden, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Cyprus. It sets out principles relating to the operation, deployment and management of the UK battle group. Sections 1 to 4, inclusive, deal with the definitions and reference documents that are applicable to this memorandum of understanding. Sections 5 to 8, inclusive, deal with the consultation process, exercise, training, certification and the operation of the battle group. One important issue to note is that each participating country retains the right to deploy or not to deploy its forces, irrespective of an EU decision to launch a battle group operation. Equally, each participant retains the right to withdraw its contingent at any time. As such, any deployment of the Irish contribution as part of the UK battle group will still be subject to a UN mandate and Government approval and this will remain unaffected by Ireland signing the memorandum of understanding. While Dáil approval is only required in respect of deployments of 12 or more personnel, in the event that any decision might be required on an actual deployment, I will be happy to facilitate discussion in the House in such circumstances, notwithstanding the fact that the number of Defence Forces personnel involved in this particular EU battle group is five. Sections 9 to 13, inclusive, outline the arrangements in terms of financing, logistics, classified information, the status of forces and the issue of claims and liabilities. Sections 14 to 16, inclusive, deal with the process of participation of additional states in the battle group, the timelines for coming into effect and termination of the memorandum of understanding and the process for dispute resolution.

The memorandum of understanding is similar to those Ireland has previously signed for the 2008, 2011 and 2015 Nordic battle groups, as well as the 2012 Austro-German battle group. While no battle group has deployed to date, the EU battle group concept has yielded many benefits in terms of developing improved inter-operability between the Defence Forces and the forces of other EU member states. It enables Irish personnel to take part in exercises and develop expertise which adds to our ability to work in partnership with other countries on UN peacekeeping missions.

The purpose of battle groups is, very simply, to enable the Union to be more effective in contributing to international peace and security in support of the United Nations by putting in place a rapid response capability. Ireland's participation in battle groups supports the development of rapid deployment skills and capabilities within the Defence Forces. It also enhances Ireland's credibility as a provider of professional and effective military forces for crisis management operations. It reinforces our standing and capacity to influence the ongoing development of the Union's common security and defence policy in support of international peace and security and the UN. Our involvement continues Ireland's proud tradition of participation in international peace keeping operations.

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