Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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151. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the amount of Ireland’s pledged contribution to the European Peace Facility that has actually been transferred out of Exchequer accounts; and the amount that has been spent to date on non-lethal military aid/assistance [24722/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Contributions under the European Peace Facility (EPF) are shared between the Department of Foreign Affairs (Vote 28) and the Department of Defence (Vote 36). The Department of Foreign Affairs covers costs in respect of Assistance Measures and the Department of Defence covers costs in respect of the European Union’s Military CSDP Missions and Operations.

In 2021, Ireland contributed approximately €4.2 million in respect of Assistance Measures and €1.9 million in respect of Missions and Operations. In 2022, Ireland contributed approximately €17.8 million in respect of Assistance Measures and €3.02 million in respect of Missions and Operations. Thus far in 2023, Ireland has contributed approximately €770,000 in respect of Assistance Measures and €1.7 million in respect of Missions and Operations. Payments made in respect of Assistance Measures include payments in respect of Ukraine, as well as payments in respect of other Assistance Measures around the globe, asagreed by EU Member States over the course of 2021, 2022 and 2023. All Assistance Measures to which Ireland has contributed are non-lethal.

Since the Russian invasion, the EU has agreed approximately €5.5 billion in support to Ukraine under the EPF, with the latest package of support politically agreed by the Foreign Affairs Council on 20 March. This consists of €5.12 billion for lethal equipment and approximately €380 million for non-lethal equipment.

In line with the Programme for Government, Ireland has constructively abstained on the lethal equipment elements of the support packages and will not contribute financially to this aspect. We will instead provide our contribution to the corresponding non-lethal Assistance Measure. Our total expected contribution currently stands at approximately €122 million exclusively for non-lethal support.

As is the case for all EU Member States, Ireland’s payments to the EPF are calculated on the basis of a GNI key and spread across the life cycle of the EPF, which runs up to 2027 in line with the current Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2021 – 2027. Of the approximately €122 million committed so far by Ireland to Ukraine under the EPF thus far, approximately €10 million had been contributed to date.