Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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49. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if he attended the European Council joint session of Defence and Foreign Affairs on 14 November 2016, at which the implementation of the EU global strategy in the area of security and defence was discussed; his views on the Council conclusions adopted at this meeting regarding the deepening of defence co-operation between EU states, particularly in view of Ireland's stated policy of military neutrality; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39838/16]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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I attended the recent joint Foreign Affairs and Defence Council along with my colleague Minister Dara Murphy who represented Minister Flanagan, at the meeting. At this meeting Council Conclusions were adopted on implementing the EU Global Strategy in the area of security and defence.

Ireland is supportive of the range of actions set out in the conclusions and is committed to the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy and the key role that it can play in international peacekeeping and crisis management. Global threats require coordinated approaches, including within the EU, and between the EU and its international partners.

The EU has a long track record of cooperation with the UN, NATO, OSCE, AU and other organisations. I welcome in particular the continued commitment to work closely with United Nations. As set out in the Global Strategy, “the EU will promote a rules-based global order with multilateralism as its key principle and the UN at its core”.

It is also essential that our military have the necessary interoperable capabilities to participate effectively and safely in UN mandated international peacekeeping operations and crisis management, be they UN, EU or NATO led missions. In that context, I welcome the proposals in the conclusions in relation to capability development in support of CSDP.

Within the EU, it is accepted that defence and security is a national competence and that each sovereign State has the right to choose its own defence policy, which in Ireland’s case is one of military neutrality. The Council Conclusions, at Ireland’s instigation, include a commitment that the specific character of the security and defence policy of all EU Member States will be fully respected. Accordingly, the conclusions have no implications for Ireland’s neutrality.