Claude-France Arnould, Chief Executive of the EDA, visited Dublin on 3 October. She had a bilateral meeting with the Defence Minister, Alan Shatter; delivered the key-note address at the seminar on “Opportunities in the European Security and Defence Markets”, co-organised by Enterprise Ireland and the Defence Organisation; and spoke at the Institute for International and European Affairs (IIEA).

 Minister for Defence Mr. Alan Shatter T.D

In his opening address at the seminar, Minister Shatter outlined Ireland’s engagement with the EDA and the support provided by the EDA in the ongoing development of capabilities for the Irish Defence Forces, including in the area of Research and Technology and industry cooperation, particularly at the level of SMEs. The Minister insisted during his speech: “with the increasing integration of and cross over between civilian and military technology development, there are now significant opportunities to leverage existing civil technology development in Ireland in the military capability development field.”

Claude-France Arnould underlined the important role played by EDA in supporting Member States’ efforts to improve their defence capabilities. The flexibility of the EDA allowed for an à la carte approach whereby a group or groups of interested Member States could cooperate together on specific projects. She welcomed the approval by the Irish parliament on 27 September of Ireland’s participation in the EDA’s projects on Maritime Surveillance, and on Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN), which she described as good for EDA, and good for Ireland. She also highlighted the important role being played by the EDA both in improving civil-military synergies in close cooperation with the European Commission and European Space Agency; and in the area of Pooling & Sharing in order to meet future military needs, ensure interoperability and standardization, and share the ever-increasing costs of developing and procuring high-tech defence equipment.

 Ms. Claude France-Arnould, EDA's Chief Executive

In her address to the IIEA, Claude-France Arnould spoke on the subject of “Innovative solutions for European Defence Cooperation”. She explained the role and tasks of the EDA, underlined the need for increased cooperation at the European level including through Pooling & Sharing and improving civil-military synergies; and praised Irish engagement in and leadership of the EU’s military operation in Chad in support of the United Nations.”

More information:

Irish Department of Defence

Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA)