Minister to seek consent over Army joining EU battlegroups

Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea is to seek Cabinet approval within weeks to allow Irish soldiers to take part in EU battlegroups…

Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea is to seek Cabinet approval within weeks to allow Irish soldiers to take part in EU battlegroups.

Mr O'Dea said yesterday that he expected to have legislation approved before the summer recess, which would enable up to 200 Irish troops to take part in EU battlegroups in response to global crisis situations.

He said that participation would have no impact on Irish neutrality and he pointed out that Ireland had aligned itself with "like-minded" countries from the Nordic battlegroup division.

The Minister was speaking at the University of Limerick where he delivered the keynote address at a conference organised by the Institute of European Affairs on EU battlegroups.

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Other speakers included defence experts from Sweden, Norway, Finland and Estonia with whom Ireland is aligned in the framework for EU battlegroups.

An EU "battlegroup" is described as a unit of 1,500 troops formed by a group of nations, which can launch operations in trouble spots within 10 days of EU approval. At present, there are 13 EU battlegroups comprising various countries. Ireland is affiliated to the Nordic division.

In his address Mr O'Dea said that he personally found the use of the term "battlegroup" unfortunate.

"The word has connotations that some may wish to exploit to raise baseless fears. Nonetheless, it is the underlying concept we should focus on, not the word itself," said Mr O'Dea.

The Minister said that recent history highlighted the shortcomings of the international community in response to crises but he stressed that the EU now had the potential to play a much more significant role.

"The horrendous carnage in Rwanda and at Srebrenica not only appalled and shocked us, it brought home how powerless and ineffective the international community was in the face of such barbarity," he said.

Mr O'Dea said that Ireland's acceptance of this role in international affairs was not just an ambition but was also an obligation as a member of both the European Union and the United Nations.

From an Irish viewpoint participation in any battlegroup would be limited to a maximum of 200 Army personnel and would not include Air Corps or Naval Service personnel, he said.

Mr O'Dea said that the proposed EU battlegroups would not replace the traditional UN role but would act as standby rapid response units which could move in ahead of full UN deployment.

The Minister emphasised that Irish participation did not impose obligations in relation to international or multilateral defence.

"Participation of our troops in individual missions will still be decided by our own national decision-making process, on a case-by-case basis," said Mr O'Dea.