I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. The EDA was established by a joint action of the Council of the European Union in 2004 "to support the Member States and the Council in their effort to improve ... [the Union’s] defence capabilities in the field of crisis management and to sustain the European Security and Defence Policy as it stands now and develops in the future”. On 6 July 2004, Government approved Ireland’s participation in the framework of the EDA. The primary reason for Ireland's participation in this member state-led and established body is to support the development of Defence Forces' capabilities for peacekeeping and international crisis management operations. Ireland’s participation in the agency provides access to research and information on developing and maintaining professional capabilities and research that we cannot self-generate.

Our participation in EDA projects and programmes is underpinned by legislation, namely, the Defence (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, which stipulates Government and Dáil approval is required for participation by Ireland in the ad hoc projects of the agency.

Importantly, it is completely voluntary as to what projects we wish to participate in. Ireland is currently involved in eight projects through the EDA: MARSUR III - maritime surveillance; the EU Satcom Market - joint procurement for satellite communications; ECMAN - a training project on manual neutralisation of IEDs; MSCB - military search capability building; joint procurement of ammunition; joint procurement of CBRN equipment; joint procurement of soldier equipment; and MICNET - the military computer emergency response team operational network.

The White Paper on Defence references that opportunities should continue to be identified to expand Ireland's participation in multinational capability development projects within the framework of the EDA, in support of the Defence Forces' operations capacity and capability. My Department and the Defence Forces are continually assessing the opportunities that exist in the EDA. Most recently, in July last year we joined four EDA projects, three of which were on joint procurement and one on cyber defence. Other projects that we have joined in the past cover capability areas such as counter improvised explosive devices, military search, and maritime surveillance.

I thank the Tánaiste for his comprehensive response. It is encouraging to hear that with the support of the EDA, the Defence Forces are enhancing their capability and improving their readiness. This will contribute more effectively to both regional and international security.

I am aware that the EDA chief executive visited Ireland last year and had discussions with the Defence Forces and Department of Defence senior officials on new opportunities. Certainly, cyber defence, maritime security and medical support are pressing issues in the context of the training and skills development in our Defence Forces. Will the Tánaiste elaborate on some of the projects that are currently live at the minute? Were applications submitted for calls within the European Defence Fund to support these projects and programmes?

I have outlined the eight projects that we are currently involved in, and I outlined that we joined four more. I met with the chief executive officer last year when he came to Dublin. We have established a capability development unit, which goes back to Deputy O'Sullivan's question, to deal with the expanded capability of the Defence Forces as per the Commission on Defence Forces. This unit gives us the capacity of structures to develop and expand within our Department. We can focus on what the EDA and other international institutions can offer to support our capability development. It is very much up to us about where we want to utilise the expertise within the European Defence Agency, to get the right equipment, the right weaponry, and to make sure that we have the optimal interoperability with others with whom we might serve on peacekeeping missions.

I have just one comment on participation in joint exercises. Over the past months we have seen a number of drug seizures off the coast, which have been valued at more than €100 million. With Ireland's vast coastline extending to more than 3,000 km, it is not practical for officers within the maritime unit to be able to cover all this area. The possible assistance of the EDA to strengthen our coastal security measures on the Irish coast, be it through EU co-operation and participation in both the joint military exercises facilitated by the agency, could improve our interoperability and also ensure that we do not become a back-door smuggling route into the EU given the vast waters we have. There is an issue of constraints around our own patrol ships at sea with just two Naval Service ships and this may be an opportunity that could be explored into the future.

The EDA is more a procurement agency to assist us in procuring equipment, weaponry and so forth. Perhaps the Deputy is referring to the PESCO projects, which is a separate initiative. We are currently participating in four PESCO projects: upgraded maritime surveillance; deployable military disaster relief capability packages; maritime autonomous systems for mine countermeasures; and a cyber threats and incident response information-sharing platform. We are observer status on a further 20 projects. I can supply the full list.

Drug interdiction is all about intelligence, collaboration and agencies working together nationally and internationally. There is success there. I visited in Colombia recently. We have a superintendent garda out there in our embassy working with Colombian police forces in sharing of intelligence around narcotics and drug trafficking. That type of exchange of information is key to tracking the shipments, being in a position to know where they are going, and intercepting when most appropriate.