Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Question 258: To ask the Minister for Defence his views in relation to the EU military strategy based on battle groups in view of the legal support given to this strategy in the Lisbon treaty, in particular Article 28A.3 TEU (Article 42.3 TEU consolidated) which states that member states shall make civilian and military capabilities available to the Union for the implementation of common security and defence policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8387/11]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The European Union's Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) forms an integral part of its Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and provides the Union with an operational capacity to undertake peacekeeping and crisis management missions outside the territory of the Member States. In addition to military tasks, there is a significant civilian and humanitarian dimension. CSDP enables the EU to strengthen international security in accordance with the principles of the United Nations Charter.

Ireland's participation in CSDP takes place within the framework of our commitment to the primacy of the United Nations in the maintenance of international peace and security. Based on the provisions of the Treaty on European Union, amended by the Lisbon Treaty, Ireland has continued to participate in the ongoing development of EU military and civilian crisis capabilities under CSDP. Ireland is committed to making its civilian and military capabilities available to the Union to implement its CSDP.

The EU has the capability to deploy forces at high readiness, broadly based on the Battlegroups concept. Since 1 January 2007, the EU has had two Battlegroups on permanent standby for a period of six months at a time. The purpose of these Battlegroups is to provide a rapid level of response to developing international crises, allowing the EU to intervene during the critical early stages.

Participation in Battlegroups is just one of a number of ways in which Ireland contributes to the EU's CSDP. Ireland participated in the Nordic Battlegroup, with Sweden, Finland, Norway and Estonia, which was on standby during the first half of 2008. Ireland is currently participating once again in the Nordic Battlegroup, which is on standby until 30 June 2011. In 2010 the Government approved Ireland's participation in the Austrian/German Battlegroup, which will be on stand-by for the second six months of 2012. The other members of the Austro-German Battlegroup are Austria, Germany, Czech Republic, Croatia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).

Participation in CSDP imposes no obligation on a Member State to participate in any EU operation, including Battlegroups. The deployment of troops and personnel remains the exclusive prerogative of each Member State, to be decided in accordance with its own national decision making processes. Under the legal guarantees secured by Ireland there is no fundamental change to the Irish approach to supporting EU actions in CSDP. The guarantees state that "It will be a matter for Ireland and any other Member State, to decide, in accordance with any domestic legal requirement, whether or not to participate in any military operation".