Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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My Department is the National Competent Authority with responsibility for Export Controls, including Controls on defence-related exports and exports of Dual-Use goods.

Controls on the export of Dual-use items are administered by my Department, in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2021/821 of the European Parliament and of the Council setting up a Union regime for the control of exports, brokering, technical assistance, transit and transfer of dual-use items. The Regulation provides for a harmonised export controls system throughout the EU and sets out the criteria for the examination of applications.

The Regulation sets out a list of over 1800 controlled items under 10 categories. Year on year the most common exports from Ireland are ICT software and hardware, followed by smaller numbers of exports of electronics, aviation components, navigation components and chemicals.

In line with the Regulation my officials assess all applications against the eight assessment criteria set out in Council Common Position 2008/944/CFSP – criterion two of which is “Respect for human rights in the country of final destination as well as respect by that country of international humanitarian law” and criterion three of which is "Internal situation in the country of final destination, as a function of the existence of tensions or armed conflicts".

In conducting assessments of applications for export licences, my officials carry out a series of checks to ensure, as far as possible, that the item to be exported will be used by the stated end-user for the stated end-use and will not be used for illicit purposes. In addition, my officials seek the geopolitical views of the Department of Foreign Affairs in respect of all applications for export licences ensuring access to the most up to date information available on each destination.

It is the longstanding policy of the Department not to publish details of individual transactions or the traders involved in these transactions in order to protect commercially sensitive information. Therefore, all export data is published in aggregated format.

The Report under the Control of Exports Act 2008 covering the period 1 January to 31 December 2022 is available on my Department's website and shows that in 2022 my Department issued 691 individual dual-use licences for exports of controlled goods with a value of €513.4 million to 76 countries. Figures for 2023 are currently being compiled and will be published later this year.