Taoiseach in Brussels for summit of EU leaders
Taoiseach Micheál Martin is in Brussels for a summit of EU leaders which comes against the backdrop of the week's upheaval in the Middle East, with ongoing divisions over how to respond to Israel's alleged breaches of the human rights obligations in its trade and political relations with the EU.
Leaders will assess yesterday's NATO summit in The Hague, which saw the alliance committing to a massive increase in defence spending by its European members.
At The Hague summit, 23 NATO countries which are also EU member states committed to spending 5% of GDP on defence by 2035.
The EU believes that Russia's invasion of Ukraine and its massive rearmament drive pose a direct threat to a continent which spent the post-Cold War decades cutting defence spending.
Member states now want to embark on joint procurement and interoperability, so that the defence industry can produce at scale thanks to guaranteed orders.
The European Commission is also making €150 billion available in soft loans to member states who are struggling to invest in defence because of other public spending needs.
The Government for the moment is not expected to avail of such offers, although officials say that joint procurement projects with other member states cannot be ruled out.
Leaders will also assess the report on Israel's alleged breaches of human rights violations in Gaza and the extent to which punitive measures may be taken.
The Taoiseach yesterday said the inability of member states to take a unified position had become a stain on the European Union.
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