Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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482.To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the value of military export licences, by country, for each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter.[35321/24]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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My Department is the National Competent Authority with responsibility for Export Controls, including Controls on defence-related exports and exports of Dual-Use goods.

The EU maintains a list of military equipment, known as the EU Common Military List. The List consists of 22 categories of equipment. A licence is required for transfers of equipment on this list within the EU, as a well as for exports to a third country (i.e. outside the EU).

The Council Common Position 2008/944/CFSP of 8 December 2008 defining common rules governing control of exports of military technology and equipment sets out eight criteria against which authorisation applications should be assessed.

Military export controls are a national competence, and the Common Position does not have direct legal effect in Member States. These provisions are given effect by the Control of Exports Act 2023.

Military exports from Ireland are predominantly aircraft components, ICT components and mechanical devices of military standard.

All export licence applications are considered by my officials in accordance with criteria set out within the relevant military EU and National Regulations and with Ireland’s international obligations and responsibilities as members of non-proliferation regimes and export control arrangements. On receipt of an application for an export licence, my officials carry out an assessment which includes a series of checks to ensure, as far as possible, that the item to be exported will be used by the stated end-user for the stated end-use and will not be used for illicit purposes.

As part of their assessment, my officials seek the views of the Department of Foreign Affairs in respect of the majority of military licence applications, depending on their category, and all dual use applications. Both my own Department and the Department of Foreign Affairs review export licence applications against the eight assessment criteria set out in Council Common Position 2008/944/CFSP – including “Respect for human rights in the country of final destination as well as respect by that country of international humanitarian law” and "Internal situation in the country of final destination, as a function of the existence of tensions or armed conflicts".

Between 2019 and 2023, there were 632 military export licences issued, with a total value of €739.61m to 31 end destinations. Further details, broken down by year and destination, are available at:

enterprise.gov.ie/en/publications/publication-files/report-under-the-control-of-exports-act-2008-2019.pdf

enterprise.gov.ie/en/publications/publication-files/report-under-the-control-of-exports-act-2008-2020.pdf

enterprise.gov.ie/en/publications/publication-files/report-under-the-control-of-exports-act-2008-2020.pdf

enterprise.gov.ie/en/publications/publication-files/report-under-the-control-of-exports-act-2008-2021.pdf

enterprise.gov.ie/en/publications/publication-files/2022-report-under-the-control-of-exports-act-2008.pdf

enterprise.gov.ie/en/publications/publication-files/report-under-the-control-of-exports-act-2008-1-january-31-december-2023.pdf

Figures for 2024 will be available in the Annual Report for 2024 when published in early 2025.