Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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337. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the position of Ireland in relation to participation in EU battlegroups; the missions participated in by Ireland to date; if such missions require a UN mandate, approval by the Government and approval by the Houses of the Oireachtas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24111/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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EU Battlegroups are multinational, military units which form part of the European Union's military rapid reaction capacity.

They are designed to provide the European Union with a rapid response capability which can be deployed in support of crisis management or humanitarian operations under the European Union's Common Security and Defence Policy, and in support of United Nations mandated missions.

At EU level, the deployment of an EU Battlegroup is subject to a unanimous decision by the Council. Member States choose whether to participate and in which Battlegroup to seek to participate.

Ireland’s engagement in EU Battlegroups is part of our commitment to the development of EU capabilities in the area of crisis management. It supports the development of rapid deployment skills and capabilities within the Defence Forces, together with improved interoperability with like-minded States. Participation in EU Battlegroups supports Ireland’s international security and defence policy by helping to secure essential partners for future UN operations.

Ireland has previously participated in the Nordic Battlegroups in 2008, 2011 and 2015, the Austro/German led EU Battlegroup 2012, the German led EU Battlegroup in 2016, the UK led EU Battlegroup in 2016 and the German Led Battlegroup in 2020.

Any deployment of the Irish Defence Forces for overseas peace support, including as part of an EU Battlegroup, is subject to the “triple lock” requirement. This requires that the operation is mandated by the UN; that the deployment is approved by the Government; and, in cases of deployments over a dozen personnel, that it is approved by the Dáil.

To date, no EU Battlegroup has ever been deployed.

Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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338. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the position of Ireland in relation to participation in permanent structured co-operation, PESCO; the missions participated in by Ireland to date; if such missions require a UN mandate, approval by the Government and approval by the Houses of the Oireachtas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24112/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The objective of PESCO is to generate defence capabilities in support of the EU Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) and which will be available to Member States for national and multinational (EU, NATO, UN, etc.) missions and operations. On a voluntary basis, 25 EU Member States, including Ireland, have joined PESCO and subscribed to commitments to invest, plan, develop and operate defence capabilities together within this EU framework.

Ireland's participation in PESCO was agreed by Government and approved by Dáil Éireann prior to the Council Decision establishing PESCO on 11 December 2017.

PESCO enhances the EU’s capacity as an international security actor, supports international peace and security and maximises the effectiveness of defence spending by participating Member States.

Participation complements and adds value to the work that the Defence Forces undertake when serving in operations. It enables them to further develop their capabilities in support of peacekeeping, through participation in joint projects with like-minded partners. Undertaking projects jointly also helps to reduce the costs of developing and procuring capabilities.

Ireland has been clear that we will only participate in projects that contribute to the strengthening of international security in accordance with the principles of the United Nations Charter, and the enhancement of capabilities for UN-mandated missions engaged in peace keeping or conflict prevention.

Sixty PESCO projects have been launched to date. Each project is managed by the participating Member States, with oversight from the Council.

Ireland is currently a participant in one PESCO project (the Greek led ‘Upgrade of Maritime Surveillance’) and also has observer status on a further nine PESCO projects (1) Deployable Military Disaster Relief Capability Package; (2) Maritime (semi) Autonomous Systems for Mine Countermeasures; (3) Cyber Threats and Incident Response Information Sharing Platform; (4) European Secure Software Defined Radio; (5) Military Mobility; (6) Energy Operational Function; (7) EU Radio Navigation Solution; (8) Counter Unmanned Aerial System; (9) Special Operations Forces Medical Training Centre.

While the capabilities developed under PESCO can be used in CSDP operations, the deployment of those capabilities on any given operation remains a matter for national decision making by individual Member States. Any deployment of the Irish Defence Forces for overseas peace support is subject to the “triple lock” provision. This requires that the operation is mandated by the UN; that the deployment is approved by the Government; and, in cases of deployments over a dozen personnel, that it is approved by Dáil resolution.

As a matter of policy under the current Programme for Government, participation in further PESCO projects by Ireland is subject to Government and Dáil approval.

Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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339. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the position of Ireland in relation to participation in NATO’s partnership for peace; the missions participated in by Ireland to date; if such missions require a UN mandate, approval by the Government and approval by the Houses of the Oireachtas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24113/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Ireland’s relations with NATO are set within the framework of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council and Partnership for Peace (PfP).

The Partnership for Peace is a programme of practical bilateral cooperation between individual Euro-Atlantic partner countries and NATO. It allows partners countries to build up an individual relationship with NATO, choosing their own priorities for cooperation. Ireland became a member of the Partnership for Peace and its political counterpart, the Euro Atlantic Partnership Council, in December 1999.

Over the last two decades, participation in the PfP has been of significant importance in the development of the peacekeeping capabilities of the Irish Defence Forces and their interoperability with other potential peacekeeping contributing nations. Participation in PfP is fundamental to Ireland being able to keep abreast of developments in areas such as training, humanitarian aspects of peacekeeping and interoperability. It enhances the ability of our peacekeepers to work alongside those of our partners. It also enables us to share our own peacekeeping skills with a wide range of countries.

Furthermore, PfP also offers wider opportunities for cooperation in areas such as cybersecurity and efforts to tackle hybrid threats.

In addition to our engagement with NATO through PfP, Ireland has participated in a number of UN mandated NATO-led crisis management operations, including in Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan. Currently there are 13 Defence Forces personnel deployed to the KFOR Headquarters mission in Kosovo.

Under the Defence (Amendment) Act, 2006 section 3(1)(b) and 3 (1)(d), the Defence Forces may, with the approval of Government, be dispatched outside the State for the purposes of conducting or participating in training or undertaking monitoring, observation or advisory duties. Any deployment of the Irish Defence Forces for overseas peace support requires that the operation is mandated by the UN; that the deployment is approved by the Government; and, in cases of deployments over a dozen personnel, that it is approved by the Dáil.