Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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96. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if he will outline the plan for Ireland's participation in the European Union Assistance Mission Ukraine; and if he can provide a guarantee that Irish soldiers will only be involved in training related to de-mining and that they will not be involved in other aspects of the military training which will be taking place. [59587/22]

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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97. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if he intends to bring a proposal to Dáil Éireann in advance of Irish Defence Forces personnel participating in the European Union Assistance Mission Ukraine in order to comply with Article 28 of the Constitution which sets out that "the State shall not participate in any war save with the assent of Dáil Éireann". [59588/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 96 and 97 together.

On 15 November, the Council of the European Union launched the European Union Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine (EUMAM Ukraine).

The aim of the mission, formally established on 17 October, is to enhance the military capability of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to allow them to defend Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty within its internationally recognised borders, as well as to protect the civilian population. The mission will operate on a needs-based approach, answering to Ukrainian training needs.

EUMAM Ukraine has a non-executive mandate to provide individual, collective and specialised training to up to 15 000 Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel over multiple locations in the territory of EU member states. The Mission Commander will be the Director of the EU's Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC).

While it has always been and remains a matter for each Member State to decide whether or not to participate in any given military or civilian CSDP mission or operation, I support Ireland’s participation in the mission. A Defence Forces' Officer will shortly take-up a senior staff position in the mission’s Operational Headquarters, which will operate within the Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC) in Brussels.

Consideration is now being given to other areas where the Defence Forces could contribute, based on an assessment of the identified needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. As this process is ongoing, I am not yet in a position to confirm the precise nature of the training that Defence Forces' personnel may provide, though demining is one such area in which the Defence Forces have an expertise and could add significant value.

Any deployment of personnel for the provision of training to contribute to the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces will, of course, be done in full compliance with the provisions of the Defence Acts. Ireland’s approach to our active engagement in the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy, CSDP, remains guided by our policy of military neutrality and our long-standing contribution to crisis management and peacekeeping.

Finally, for the sake of clarity, let me confirm that there is no question of Irish Defence Forces’ personnel being deployed to Ukraine as part of this mission and no other EU Member State intends to send personnel to Ukraine. All of the training will be provided on the territory of the European Union, primarily in Poland and Germany, but also in a number of other Member States.