Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 50: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the developments regarding EU co-operation in security and defence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39484/06]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) is an integral part of the European Union's Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), the principles and objectives of which are set out in the Maastricht, Amsterdam and Nice Treaties, approved by the people at successive referenda. The Union is continuing to develop its capabilities for crisis management operations, both military and civilian. The objectives which it has set itself are set out in the Headline Goal 2010 and the Civilian Headline Goal 2008. These include having the capability to undertake humanitarian and rescue tasks, peacekeeping tasks and tasks of combat forces in crisis management, including peacemaking, along with conflict prevention and civilian crisis management.

There are eleven ESDP crisis management missions currently underway, both civilian and military. The civilian missions include police and rule of law missions, security sector reform assistance, and border monitoring missions. The principal military mission has been the ongoing peace stabilisation mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina (EUFOR Althea).

An EU Planning Team has been deployed to Kosovo this year to prepare for an expected rule of law mission in Kosovo next Spring, in succession to the current UN mission operating there. Current and future ESDP missions were reviewed by Foreign and Defence Ministers at the meeting of the General Affairs and External Relations Council earlier this month. Work has also been proceeding on the development of EU Battlegroups. Twenty-six nations — including Turkey and Norway — have committed to forming or joining these rapid response teams, which will reach full operational capability from 1 January next year. At its meeting on 14 November 2006, the Government decided that Ireland would provide a contingent of the Defence Forces to participate in the Nordic Battlegroup. This Battlegroup will be on standby in the first half of 2008. Deployment of the Irish contingent of the Battlegroup will of course remain subject to the requirements of the "triple lock" of Government decision, Dáil approval and UN authorisation.