France Halts Military Exercises Near Irish Waters, Minister Confirms to Dáil

23rd June 2022

Foreign Minister Simon Coveney stopped short of declaring the drills cancelled outright or merely postponed Credit: Arno Mikkor/Estonian Presidency

Planned French military exercises near Irish waters have been halted, the Foreign Affairs Minister has confirmed.

But as TheJournal.ie reports, Simon Coveney stopped short of declaring the drills cancelled outright or merely postponed, telling the Dáil today (Thursday 23 June) “that’s a matter for France”.

West Cork fishers and marine conservationists had raised concerns over the scheduled live-fire manoeuvres, which had originally been planned within the waters of Ireland’s EEZ this week.

The Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation welcomed a subsequent relocation of the French naval exercises.

However, the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group warned that marine wildlife in Ireland’s waters would remain vulnerable to the impact of detonating missiles at sea.

TheJournal.ie has more on the story HERE.

Published in News Update, Fishing, Marine Wildlife

Published in News Update

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MacDara Conroy

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MacDara Conroy is a contributor covering all things on the water, from boating and wildlife to science and business

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