Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Dáil and Government business has precluded my attendance at the informal meeting of EU Defence Ministers in Bratislava which started yesterday, 26 September, and continued into this afternoon. Accordingly, the Minister for Defence is being represented by the Secretary General of the Department of Defence. This is an informal meeting and, as such, no decisions are being taken on any matter. Issues for discussion at the meeting include an exchange of views on the implementation of the EU global strategy and the Commission-led European defence action plan; an exchange of views on the implementation of the joint EU-NATO declaration made recently at the Warsaw summit, including taking stock of the progress achieved; and discussions on Common Security and Defence Policy, CSDP, missions and operations, with a focus on Libya, the Mediterranean naval mission Operation Sophia and the CSDP missions in the Sahel.

As I stated in reply to a previous question, there are no proposals to create a standing EU army. This issue did not feature in any discussion and it is not on any agenda. I also reiterate that the Treaty of Lisbon does not provide for the creation of a European army.

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