Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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129. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence when the next EU meeting of defence ministers will take place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47037/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The next meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in Defence format [(FAC) Defence], which I plan to attend, is scheduled to take place on the 16th of November in Brussels. While the agenda has yet to be agreed, it is expected that this meeting will continue discussions on the Strategic Compass.

The Strategic Compass is a 2-year process designed to provide enhanced direction for EU security and defence and its level of ambition together with political guidance for future military planning processes. It will define policy orientations and specific goals and objectives in four clusters: (1) crisis management, (2) resilience, (3) capability development, and (4) partnerships.

A draft of the Strategic Compass is expected to be circulated in advance of the FAC Defence, with finalisation of the document foreseen during the French Presidency of the Council in the first semester of 2022.