Minister McEntee meets French Counterpart to discuss security priorities ahead of Ireland’s EU Presidency

The Minister for Defence, Helen McEntee TD today (3 June) met her French counterpart, Mme Catherine Vautrin, in Paris, ahead of Ireland’s forthcoming Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

As well as a focus on the upcoming Presidency, the Ministers reflected on both countries’ participation in UNIFIL and on related opportunities for security and defence cooperation.

In view of the deterioration in the international security situation, Minister McEntee confirmed Ireland’s full support for initiatives at the EU level to increase resilience and capabilities of EU Member States and committed that Ireland will support and advance the EU security and defence agenda during the forthcoming EU Presidency.

Speaking about Ireland’s EU Presidency, Minister McEntee said

“We are confident that our Presidency will be another successful and impactful one, reflecting the challenging international security environment in which we all currently exist.

“We will constructively advance the security and defence agenda at EU level during the Presidency, which will be a particular focus of the informal meeting of EU Defence Ministers due to be held in Ireland in late August.

“I expect that the topic of maritime security to be one of my priorities during the Presidency, recognising the importance of cooperation in the area of our shared maritime security, particularly in safeguarding critical maritime infrastructure.

“This will include supporting EU-level efforts to enhance maritime domain awareness, address emerging risks such as hybrid maritime threats, and contributing to the mid-term review of the EU Maritime Security Strategy in the second half of 2026.”

The two Ministers also discussed the current situation in the Middle East, particularly in Lebanon, where both France and Ireland have personnel serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the mandate for which will come to an end at the end of the year.

Minister McEntee expressed her condolences on the recent death of two French peacekeepers and committed Ireland’s continued support for the mission and for Lebanon after the ending if the UNIFIL mission.

“Given Ireland’s long-term engagement in the region, we wish to remain supportive of Lebanon and are actively considering how best to continue to support Lebanon after the end of the UNIFIL Mission, via either the UN or EU efforts.

“We are keen to progress EU Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) efforts, including the potential establishment of a CSDP mission, as a means of contributing to peace and security in southern Lebanon, including the possibility of a military CSDP Training Mission, along with European Peace Facility supports. This is an issue we will seek to progress during our Presidency.”

Ministers McEntee and Vautrin also discussed the issue of closer defence capability cooperation between Ireland of France. Speaking after the meeting, Minister McEntee said “I welcome the development of closer cooperation between our two countries.

“The Irish Government is committed to strengthening the capabilities of the Defence Forces to respond to a changed landscape, reflecting a deterioration in the international security situation.

“France’s established expertise in defence capability development and programme delivery, combined with Ireland’s focus on effective, sustainable and interoperable solutions for the Defence Forces, provides a strong foundation for constructive cooperation.”