Ireland takes over EU presidency with French naval help on security
A French air defence warship carried out manoeuvres with Irish naval vessels off Dublin Bay at the weekend as Ireland stepped up defence preparations for the presidency, which runs from 1 July until the end of the year.
The French multipurpose frigate – equipped with advanced air defence radar and up to 32 anti-aircraft missiles – was reportedly operating in the Irish Sea some 14 nautical miles east of North Dublin on Sunday, while two Irish Naval Service vessels conducted manoeuvres nearby.
The ships had their transponders turned off, meaning they were not visible on open-source ship tracking platforms, but they could be seen by passengers on civilian aircraft landing at Dublin Airport.
The operation, which was not announced publicly by the Irish government, is intended to prepare for the country hosting dozens of high-level meetings, some of which will require air defence systems that the Defence Forces do not possess.
According to The Irish Times, Ireland is expected to rely heavily on French and British military assets, including naval ships, for the duration of the presidency. In preparation, the Defence Forces has increased co-operation with both countries in the maritime domain.
French naval crews have been given tactical radios by their Irish counterparts to allow communication, because the Irish Naval Service does not have the NATO-standard communications systems used by France.
UK intercepts Russian shadow fleet vessel in Channel: ministry
Questions have been raised about the legal and constitutional implications of seeking military help from other countries, particularly where that could involve the possible use of deadly force. The issue is politically sensitive in Ireland, where neutrality remains a recurring point of debate and where some opposition parties have repeatedly warned against any closer alignment with NATO, while accusing the EU of becoming increasingly militarised.
Security officials held a meeting last week to discuss those legal issues, with Attorney General Rossa Fanning giving advice on the constitutionality of foreign militaries operating in Ireland.
Drone defences
The recent security build-up follows a drone incursion in Dublin Bay during the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last December, when five drones were spotted by the crew of an Irish naval ship close to where Zelensky's aircraft had passed earlier that night. The crew did not open fire because of a lack of appropriate ammunition and the risk to civilian aircraft.
The Defence Forces is now preparing a layered response to possible drone incursions. Shotguns, helicopter-mounted machine guns and new “airburst” ammunition are being added to more advanced jamming technology that can block drone signals.
The systems will mainly be used at Defence Forces locations, including at an aerodrome in West Dublin, where visiting dignitaries will land during the presidency. Anti-drone jamming devices are also being installed there.
However, anti-drone electronic warfare systems ordered for Irish naval vessels will not be operational until January next year, after Ireland has handed over the presidency to Lithuania.
Europe confronts fragmented defence systems as pressure to rearm grows
Speaking in Dublin on Monday, Irish Foreign Affairs and Defence Minister Helen McEntee maintained Ireland will be safe and secure during the presidency, while acknowledging that no state is immune to threats.
“An Garda [Irish police force] has been planning for this for a number of years now. So, the measures that need to be put in place are in place and I look forward to things kicking off on Wednesday,” McEntee told reporters, cited by The Irish Times.
Possible risks include cyber attacks, industrial espionage, drone attacks and threats to underwater infrastructure. McEntee said those risks were not new and pointed to the cyber attack on Ireland's Health Service Executive in 2021 as one example of a past challenge.
“We have been victim to them in the past. We know, for example, the attack that took place on the HSE. Similarly to other countries and other scenarios, we've had to respond and we've had to be agile,” McEntee said.
Budget battles and EU enlargement
Beyond security, Ireland's presidency will place Irish ministers and diplomats in the chair of EU-level discussions as they try to broker compromises between the other 26 member states.
The role is not to act as a central power broker but to keep EU negotiations moving.
The biggest task will be the next seven-year EU budget. EU leaders have asked Ireland to propose new sources of income by October for the 2028-2034 budget, as the bloc looks for a way to ease tensions between richer net contributors and poorer beneficiaries.
EU chief unveils €800bn plan to 'rearm' Europe and support Ukraine
“Leaders agreed to task our Irish friends to accelerate work on new own resources. We need those additional revenues to reach a deal in December,” European Council President Antonio Costa told a news conference after leaders' talks on 19 June.
Possible options include taking shares of CO2 permit revenues, the EU carbon border levy and tobacco excise duty, as well as taxes or levies on non-collected e-waste, large firms operating in the EU, extreme wealth, digital services, online gambling and crypto asset capital gains.
EU enlargement will also feature strongly, with Moldova, Albania, Montenegro and Ukraine at different stages of the accession process.
(with newswires)