Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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138. To ask the Minister for Defence if he will report on the European Union Ministers for Defence Council following the 13 November 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris in France; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42032/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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At the opening session of the recent meeting of EU Ministers for Defence in Brussels, on 17th November 2015, the French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drein invoked Article 42.7 of the Treaty on European Union. Member States offered strong messages of solidarity and support. I extended my condolences to the French Minister and the French people and pledged Ireland's support for France at this difficult time.

The High Representative, Fredericka Mogherini, clearly outlined that Article 42.7 of the treaty does not give rise to any coordinated EU action or CSDP operation and that EU institutions have no function in the matter. The HRVP noted that it is an issue for France and the Member States acting on a bilateral basis. The meeting was advised that France will engage in bilateral discussions with other member States with a view to seeking support for all aspects of its response to the threat from the “Daesh” and in response to the atrocity committed in Paris.

The meeting of Defence Ministers then continued with an introduction by Commissioner Bieńkowska of the Commission’s European Defence Action Plan, the main objective of which is to bring together the core elements of the Commission’s policy on the internal market, industrial policy and research. Member States were supportive of this work in conjunction with the European Defence Agency (EDA) in the area of defence.

Discussion then moved to Capacity Building in Support of Security and Development (CBSD) and the challenges inherent in same. The discussion took place on the basis of a draft implementation plan prepared by the European External Action Service (EEAS) and Commission services. HRVP Mogherini noted that funding remains a particular concern, calling on Defence Ministers to push for national coherence with their respective Development Ministers on the funding issue and having regard to the clear link between security and development. In addressing the meeting, I welcomed the initiative. I suggested that pilot projects in this area could provide a useful tool to prove the underlying theory behind CBSD to the Development Community. Recognition of the link between peace-keeping, development aid and NGO activities was also needed in terms of feeding into Development Aid Policy. Agreeing with the notion that ‘Prevention is better than Intervention’, I also suggested that member States should identify short to medium term solutions while the various funding options were being considered and that the establishment of Trust Funds into which MS could contribute might be a worthy interim solution in this regard.

The NATO Secretary General, Jens Stolenberg, who was invited to attend the item on Capacity Building in Support of Security and Development gave a brief overview of NATO’s current activities in the field of ‘Defence Capability Building’ – NATO’s version of CBSD - citing the initiative as another opportunity to further develop EU/NATO cooperation.

The last section of this session saw Ministers briefed on the ongoing CSDP military operations which focused on the future development of Operation Sophia (EUNAVFOR MED) the CSDP Naval operation in the Mediterranean, and the EU Military Assistance Mission in the Central African Republic (EUMAM CAR). It is proposed that the mission in the Central African Republic will transition to a training mission and initial planning will commence. A renewal of UN Security Council Resolutions for Operations Althea and Atalanta was confirmed.

The final working session of the meeting was in EDA Steering Board format, where Member States agreed the key taskings and the way ahead. A 2016 budget of €30.5m was approved and a further meeting will be held in December to revise the 3 Year Planning Framework, which had been devised based on an expected increased budget of €33m.

In the margins of the meeting I met with a number of colleagues to discuss issues of mutual interest. I also had a discussion with the Italian Minister for Defence in relation to our ongoing Naval Service humanitarian search and rescue operation. The Italian minister commented very positively on the work being done by the Naval Service and welcomed Ireland’s support for what is a difficult mission and at a difficult time.