EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq travelled to Ireland today for a meeting with Irish Minister for Defence Simon Coveney T.D. as well as discussions with senior officials of the Irish Department of Defence. The visit is part of a series of visits by Mr. Domecq to all EDA Member States following his appointment as EDA Chief Executive and ahead of the Ministerial Steering Board on 18 May 2015.
The discussions with the Minister and senior officials of the Irish Department of Defence focused on the progress on taskings stemming from the European Council of December 2013, ongoing work in preparation of the upcoming European Council discussion on defence in June 2015 as well as Ireland’s participation in EDA projects.
Minister Coveney thanked Mr. Domecq for his active engagement with Member States and stated that ”Ireland has been a strong supporter of the EDA since it was established during Ireland’s Presidency of the European Council in 2004. Cooperation among participating Member States in the areas of capability development, procurement, training and similar such initiatives, within the framework of the EDA, can be hugely beneficial particularly for smaller Member States, like Ireland, which do not have the scale to develop these capabilities organically. I look forward to working with the Chief Executive of the EDA and my Ministerial colleagues in preparing the agenda for the European Council in June where defence will be on the agenda.”
During the meeting with Minister Simon Coveney T.D. Jorge Domecq emphasised, “The Agency’s cooperative projects are designed to fill pressing capability gaps. These capabilities are owned by the Member States. I very much welcome Ireland’s active involvement in several EDA projects including countering improvised explosive devices, cyber defence and energy and environment, as well as its commitment as lead nation to naval training.”
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