Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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155. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the steps that have been taken by Ireland to implement priorities identified by the capability development plan and co-ordinated annual review on defence; the estimated cost of the implementation of same; the outstanding priorities identified; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29613/18]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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In November 2016, the European Defence Agency (EDA) Steering Board agreed to the review of the European Union Capability Development Plan (CDP) and tasked the EDA to present a new set of Priority Actions by Spring 2018 that would reflect the changing security challenges. At the EDA Steering Board on 28 June, delegates approved the EU Capability Development Priorities.  The review process has identified eleven Priorities across all domains, land, maritime, air and the joint domain which include developing capabilities in the area of Cyber, Information and Communication Systems, Naval Manoeuvrability, Air Mobility and Enhanced Logistic capabilities.  

The Capability Development Priorities will now be developed further by the EDA and Member States and also in other international capability development fora.  The priorities are assessed on an ongoing basis in line with Member States requirements and evolve in response to the changing security environment.

The Co-ordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD) will assist the CDP process by reviewing Member States’ implementation of the 2018 EU Capability Development Priorities and by identifying additional opportunities for cooperation. 

The Co-ordinated Annual Review (CARD) on Defence aims to create greater transparency by sharing Member States information on future defence policy, capability development, budgets and investment. It is expected that such transparency will support greater collaboration among Member States on investment in capabilities.  Participation in CARD is open to all Member States on an entirely voluntary basis, recognising that the defence policies of Member States, including defence spending and capabilities, is entirely a national competence. 

Ireland's engagement in the implementation of priorities is through our contribution in developing defence capabilities, both nationally and internationally, along with our active cooperation with the EDA in relation to CARD.  A bilateral meeting as part of the CARD trial run took place between Ireland and the EDA last December along with further exchanges with the EDA during the finalisation and return of Ireland's CARD data in early 2018. 

Ireland engages in the following capability development projects in the EDA.  The costs listed are the lifetime costs of each individual project and are met from within the Defence Vote;  

- European Centre for Manual Neutralisation Capabilities (ECMAN) at a cost of EUR 450,000,

- Co-operation on Cyber Ranges in the European Union. There is no financial contribution to this project but Member States will contribute to the project “in-kind” - through participating and exchanging information and knowledge in relation to cyber range training and exercises.  

The eleven Capability Development Priorities identified will now be forwarded for endorsing by the Member States Ministers at the EDA Steering Board in November 2018.  The report of the CARD trial run will also be presented. No conclusions have yet been drawn from the CARD.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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156. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the involvement of Ireland in the European defence industrial development programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29614/18]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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The European Defence Fund (EDF) is a financial mechanism designed to enable and accelerate cooperation among Member States to better coordinate, supplement and amplify national investments in defence. Through the co-funded EDF, Member States will be able to achieve greater output and develop defence technology and equipment that may not be feasible on their own, by pooling national resources.  The fund will also foster innovation and allow economies of scale, which will enhance the competitiveness of the EU defence industry. The Fund has two strands or windows, which are complementary; the Research Window and the Capability Window.

The European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP) is known as the Capability Window. The programme aims to support the competitiveness and innovation capacity of the Union's defence industry for the period 2019-2020. In addition, the programme will act as an enabler for cooperation, incentivising potential collaborative development programmes.

Ireland’s position in the European Defence industrial Development Programme was developed through the Department of Defence led Interdepartmental Group made up of representatives from the Departments of the Taoiseach, Foreign Affairs and Trade, Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Business, Enterprise and Innovation. National engagement with those Departments took place on the formulation of the text of the regulation to establish this programme, in order to ensure that the Programme reflected the interests of Ireland, particularly in the area of opportunities for SMEs.  Ireland strongly welcomes proposals that a proportion of the overall budget is to be earmarked for projects involving cross-border participation of SMEs.  

The text of the regulation was negotiated between Member States in the Friends of the Presidency format and following agreement between the Council and the Parliament the EDIDP will commence on 1 January 2019 for a duration of two years and receive funding of €500 million until end-2020.  In the next Multi-annual Financial Framework the proposal from the Commission is to provide €8.9 billion in funding to a follow-on capability development programme.