Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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Question 89: To ask the Minister for Defence the agenda for the informal meeting of EU defence Ministers in Wiesbaden, Germany, on 1 and 2 March 2007; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8926/07]

Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)
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Question 137: To ask the Minister for Defence the position with regard to developments at European level regarding EU security and defence arrangements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8692/07]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 89 and 137 together.

Each Presidency hosts an informal Defence Ministers' meeting during the course of its Presidency. The informal meeting is not a decision-making forum, but rather an opportunity to discuss current issues and review ongoing progress on ESDP developments.

The German Presidency hosted an informal meeting of EU Defence Ministers on 1-2 March 2007 in Wiesbaden, Germany. As I was in Lebanon visiting our troops stationed there, I was unable to attend the informal meeting and the Secretary General of my Department attended on my behalf. The meeting began with a discussion of current operations in Bosnia Herzegovina, Operation Althea, and Sudan/Darfur. The upcoming civilian mission in Kosovo and a proposed EU police mission to Afghanistan were also discussed.

The second day began with a discussion of EU-UN cooperation, in particular the lessons learned from EUFOR RD Congo. The need for improved co-ordination between the EU and UN in support of UN operations was strongly supported by Ireland. In this regard, Ireland welcomed the proposed presidency seminar on EU-UN co-operation which will be held in Berlin in mid-March. The meeting also discussed the need for improved planning arrangements and structures within the Union in support of EU operations. Finally, the issue of military capabilities, including the ongoing work of the European Defence Agency, was discussed.

The next step towards achieving the Headline Goal 2010 is the assessment of military capability shortfalls, i.e. the gaps between what the Union needs and what the Member States have committed to make available. This assessment of shortfalls, which is called the Progress Catalogue, will be completed later this year.

The Presidency presented a Food For Thought paper on updating the Union's Military Rapid Response Concept. The Food For Thought paper provides initial ideas on harnessing the capability of different wings of the armed forces (i.e. Land, Air and Sea Forces) to work together in joint and combined rapid response operations. The paper, which is a tri-Presidency initiative, is designed to set the framework and a starting-point for considerations on a mandate, a methodology and a roadmap for the further work required by the EUMS.

With regard to European Defence Agency issues, the capability development plan and the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB) were discussed. The aim of the Capability Development Plan process is to provide a collaborative tool for longer term capability development for the participating Member States and by extension for the EU as a whole. It will inform, capability development looking forward over the next 20 to 30 years and will build, in a pragmatic way, on the work of the Long Term Vision Document.

The Head of the EDA also addressed the meeting on the EDTIB, in particular, on the outcome of a major conference held on 1 February 2007. The conference was attended by over 300 representatives from Ministries of Defence, Government and Industry. The strategy of the EDA on EDTIB is to support and serve as a catalyst in the gradual restructuring and strengthening of the European defence industry. The most important feature of this effort will be to encourage further specialisation and the development of European industrial centres of excellence.