Written answers

Wednesday, 25 May 2005

Department of Defence

Common Foreign and Security Policy

9:00 pm

Photo of John GormleyJohn Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Question 217: To ask the Minister for Defence if he will report on the European Defence Agency steering group meeting of 2 March 2005; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17580/05]

Photo of Willie O'DeaWillie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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The steering board of the European Defence Agency held its third meeting in Brussels on 2 March 2005. The steering board is the principal decision making body of the agency, on which the 24 participating member states are represented. Denmark is not a member. The meeting, in the formation of national armaments directors, NADs, was chaired on behalf of Javier Solana by Eero Lavonen, the Finnish NAD. The Irish delegation comprised relevant officials of the Department led at assistant secretary level.

The steering board approved the EDA input to the European Commission's consultation process on its Green Paper on defence procurement and instructed the agency to continue to support the Commission's work. It also agreed a programme of work for the EDA on the European defence equipment market.

The chief executive of the agency, Mr. Nick Witney, made a brief presentation in which he took stock of the establishment of the EDA, with special focus on recruiting and ongoing work and external relations. The deputy chief executive of the agency, Mr. Linnenkamp, made a presentation on the transfer of functions from the Western European Armaments Group, WEAG, to the EDA. WEAG will be closed once its functions are transferred to the EDA. WEAG is an agency comprising Government representatives within the framework of the WEU and has had a role in co-ordinating research and development activities, opening up cross-border defence markets and so forth. The WEU comprises 28 delegations with differing membership status. Ireland has observer status at the WEU.

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