Security experts welcome Dáil vote for Irish military involvement in EU seabed protection

A Nord Stream gas pipeline transfer station in Lubmin, Germany. The attacks on the pipeline in September 2022 focused minds on the security of Irish assets such as undersea data cables. Picture: Stefan Sauer/dpa/AP 

Security experts have welcomed the decision by the Oireachtas to approve Government plans to take part in an EU military project to protect critical seabed infrastructure, such as transatlantic data cables, from sabotage and terrorism.

The Oireachtas backed the motion to allow the Defence Forces to join a Permanent Structured Cooperation (Pesco) initiative. Though Ireland signed up to the voluntary framework in December 2017, it is only involved in four projects currently.