Ireland must 'pull its weight' on increasing defence, says French Ambassador
Vincent Guérend said countries including Sweden, Finland, and Denmark have changed stance on Nato. Picture: Moya Nolan
Ireland must join other EU countries to "pull its weight" when it comes to increasing defence capabilities, the French Ambassador to Ireland has said.
Welcoming a new national consultative forum that is being set up to discuss Ireland's international security policy, Vincent Guérend said the world has evolved since the outbreak of the
war in Ukraine.
While he said it will be up to the Irish people to decide on whether this country joins Nato, the ambassador pointed to a number of countries including Sweden, Finland, and Denmark that have changed stance in the wake of the Russian invasion.
"What we would at the same time say is that the world we're facing today, we're in today, is very unfortunately more dangerous compared to 10, 15 years ago and that it is appropriate, even though it's costly, for all of us to increase our defence capabilities," he said.
In a wide-ranging interview with the , Mr Guérend highlighted the huge gains that will be made for both Ireland and France when this country is hooked into the EU's energy grid.
It comes after four successful bidders in Ireland’s first auction for offshore wind contracts were announced last week, a move which is expected to provide cheaper electricity in the years to come.
Mr Guérend said there is now a collective European interest to increase its energy autonomy, making it less dependent on foreign supply.
The interconnector that will run directly between Ireland and France will be operating by early 2027, which should see Irish wind energy used on the continent and French nuclear energy imported here.
"This will be a huge change because it will increase the security of supply both ways for France and Ireland and we'll be glad whenever you have any surplus to import your electricity produced by wind energy in particular," he said.
However, warning of "bottlenecks" in the chain of delivery from the skilled workforce to the production line and even the ships that are needed, he said delivering new offshore wind will be a "massive challenge" in the timeline that has been set down in Ireland and across the EU.
Mr Guérend also emphasised the need for Europe to develop a strong industrial policy to stave off the threat an over-reliance on China and other countries poses to member states.
It comes after Tánaiste Micheál Martin provoked a strong reaction from the Chinese Embassy in Ireland over a warning that the Government and private sector need to be "realistic" and "clear-eyed" about China's strategic objectives and their implications.
Mr Martin strongly advised the private sector, academics, and other stakeholders to increase their awareness of their level of exposure and to "de-risk" from China where necessary.
Mr Guérend said: "I think we very much concur again at European level with the Tánaiste.
"It is certainly in the interest of Europe to both diversify its supply, and secondly to make sure that it has also an indigenous capacity at European level to produce some of the key technologies in future like electrical batteries, like telecommunications, 5G, and similar communication technologies.
"An over-reliance towards one country in particular... is a risk," he said, citing the fact that up to 80% of car batteries delivered to Europe are sourced from China.
Mr Guérend said that on the issue of security, China has been "asserting itself worldwide" in recent years.
While it is important the EU continues to cooperate with China "as much as we can", especially on global issues such as climate change and the fight against poverty, he said it is important that there is a "level playing field" between both sides.
"We have to make sure that whenever we trade there is some reciprocity when it comes to access to market when it comes to public procurement, when it comes to competition," he said.
More generally, he said the international environment has become "vastly more challenging over the last couple of years".
Citing covid and now the war in Ukraine, he said: "In this context, Europe cannot just stand still and just do business as usual.
"Europe needs an industrial policy, which means working with industry to identify the key industries where the EU must once again become strong," said the ambassador.
Turning to Ireland's defence strategy and neutrality, Mr Guérend said this is an issue that is "evolving" for many countries since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Asked directly if he thinks Ireland should join Nato, to ensure we are fully protected from Russian and other threats, he said: "This is for the Irish to decide. Each and every country in the world and in the EU has its own histories or tradition, its own political strains.
"As you know, France also was part of Nato since the outset, but also left what we call the integrated military command in 1966 and rejoined only in 2008. So, each and every country has to decide according to its own history and political constraints. We would certainly not give any advice to Ireland when it comes to joining Nato."
However, he added: "It is important that each and every member state collectively pulls its own weight on this."
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