Ireland Makes Security an EU Priority as 75% of Atlantic Cables Run Near Its Waters
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Aug 3
Ireland Makes Security an EU Priority as 75% of Atlantic Cables Run Near Its Waters
2 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 3
Summary
Ireland has elevated security during its six-month EU Council presidency, arguing it is on the frontline after increased Russian naval and shadow-fleet activity near critical undersea infrastructure.
The shift follows repeated concern over the Russian vessel Yantar, which loitered over a gas pipeline in the Irish Sea in 2024, and a recent rise in Russian shadow-fleet traffic skirting tighter British and French controls.
Nearly 75% of transatlantic subsea cables pass through or close to Ireland’s exclusive economic zone, alongside busy shipping lanes and gas pipelines that underpin the country’s role as a European tech hub.
Dublin says it will spend €1.7 billion on defence capital projects in 2026-30, up 55%, but Ireland still spent just 0.2% of GDP on defence in 2024—the lowest in the EU.
That gap remains visible at sea: only two of Ireland’s eight naval ships were operational in 2025, and analysts say public attention still centers on housing, living costs and immigration rather than defence.