Security & Defence Blog

This briefing paper summarises discussions from the first of a series of three research-based, half day seminars organised by the IIEA with the support of the ERASMUS+ – funded and NORTIA academic network. The series aims to further debate in Ireland on defence policy with the input of leading scholars, experts and practitioners on i) threats to small states in Europe ii) the contribution of small states to European security and defence iii) strategy building for small states in European security and defence.

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Mapping Threats and Models: An Irish Review

As the EU falters further into the labyrinth of defence and security cooperation we have seen a number of divergences between the needs of the smaller and larger Member States in both the EU and NATO

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Close cooperation and the integration of state efforts are inevitable and necessary. Viewed against global trends and challenges, all states in Europe are small.

Half-way through its rotating six-month term in 2019, the Finnish Presidency has advanced a more strategic discussion on the future of European defence and digital disruption in the field.

This paper for the IIEA, Patrick Keatinge, Co-Chair of the IIEA’s Security and Defence Group and Professor Emeritus at Trinity College Dublin, examines how Ireland’s Security and Defence Policy has evolved; how it is reflected in Ireland’s response to the main security challenges; and how it is understood in public debate today.

The first set of 17 PESCO projects was adopted by the EU Defence Ministers on 6 March 2018, and Ireland has signed up to participate in two of these projects: European Union Training Mission Competence Centre and Upgrade of Maritime Surveillance

In a joint statement, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch claim that thousands more refugees and migrants could be at risk of dying in the Central Mediterranean, if the European Commission’s plan for a Code of Conduct for NGOs is improperly conducted. The Code of Conduct for NGOs was first announced by the European Commission on 6 July 2017, as part of an EU Action Plan, which aims to support Italy and reduce migratory pressure of illegal migrants along the Central Mediterranean Route. In the first six months of 2017, Italy received over 82,000 migrants, which has stretched its capacities to the limit.

The European Commission released its latest action plan on 4 July 2017 to support Italy and reduce migratory pressure along the Central Mediterranean Route.

On 1 May 2017, the new Europol regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/794), which was adopted by the European Parliament on 11 May 2016, came into force, taking effect in all member states. This regulation updates Europol’s powers and enables it to step up efforts to fight terrorism, cybercrime and other serious and organised forms of crime.

Over the past three months, the EU has seen several significant developments in the broad field of European security. In this paper, Patrick Keatinge reflects on the developments in the Ukraine crisis and the Arab winter, and examines the European Union’s response to both of these situations. The author goes on to look at the implications of these developments for Ireland and for the EU as a whole.

Security & Defence Blog

European Security Threats

Mapping Threats and Models: An Irish Review

The Geostrategic Challenge and the Small State: An Austrian Perspective

Evolving Hybrid Threats: Charting a New Course for Security

The “Specific Character” of Ireland’s Security and Defence Policy: Reflections on Neutrality

Ireland’s Involvement in PESCO

Conflict over the Code of Conduct

Coping with the Influx of Economic Migrants

Europol’s New Mandate

New IIEA publication:The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

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