Trade Data

Tuesday, 24 February 2026

Questions (433)

Roderic O'Gorman

Question:

433. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the total number of dual-use export licenses to Israel which were denied from 2017 to 2025, detailing the reason for denial, type of product requested for export, the type of end user academic, medical, military and so on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13998/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment

As the National Competent authority for export controls, my responsibilities centre around the control of exports of dual-use and military items under EU and national legislation. These controls are administered by my Department, in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2021/821 of the European Parliament and of the Council setting up a Union regime for the control of exports, brokering, technical assistance, transit and transfer of dual-use items.

The primary purpose of export controls is not to block trade or exports, but to enable the free movement of legitimate goods while ensuring that certain sensitive categories are subject to appropriate regulation. These controls are designed to manage risk, uphold international peace and security, and ensure Ireland’s compliance with its international obligations.

The bulk of dual-use exports from Ireland, including those to Israel, are mainstream business ICT products, both hardware and software (networking, data storage, cybersecurity etc). They are categorised as dual-use items as a consequence of fact that they incorporate strong encryption for ICT security purposes.

All export licence applications are considered by my officials in accordance with criteria set out within the relevant dual-use and military EU and National Regulations and with Ireland’s international obligations and responsibilities as members of non-proliferation regimes and export control arrangements. Each application is assessed individually, considering the nature of the items, the destination country, the identity of the end-user, and the intended end-use. A range of complex factors is considered in every application, including national security, regional stability, and human rights concerns.

There is extensive engagement between my officials and exporters should any questions or concerns arise with any application for any destination, including Israel. If, after engagement, there are any outstanding concerns over the stated end use, that the goods being exported will not be used for the end use or by the specified end user as detailed in the application or if the exporter does not provide enough information on the intended end-use for my officials to make an informed decision, the application for a licence is denied.

The following table shows the number of individual dual-use export licence applications, in respect of end-users in Israel, denied by my Department in years 2017 to 2025, including some detail of the application and broad sector of end user. My Department has a duty to protect the commercial confidentiality and security of exporters who apply for export control authorisations, including their staff and facilities. This is a fundamental principle of how export controls are managed responsibly and in line with international best practice. Therefore, in order to avoid possible identification of exporters, the following table reports the category the product, as per Annex I of Regulation 2021/821, rather than specific product details, and a broad category of end user.

Ireland’s decisions are guided by the EU Common Position (2008/944/CFSP) and its eight criteria, which include respect for human rights, international obligations, and regional stability. A number of the denials listed were denied under criteria 2 (human rights considerations), criteria 4 (regional stability) and criteria 7 (risk of diversion to another end user/end use).

Under Article 14 of Regulation 2021/821, if the items for export are physically located in another Member State, my Department must consult with that Member State. Should that Member State refuse permission for the export to take place from their territory, my Department are obligated to deny the application. There is no requirement for the Member State to provide a reason for such denial. Four of the denials listed were denied as a result of a negative consultation under Article 14.

In applying export controls in a robust and transparent way, my Department ensures that legitimate business transactions by reputable Irish traders are not damaged in any way while also ensuring that exports of controlled goods are thoroughly risk assessed in the context of ongoing conflicts, diversion of goods and humanitarian considerations.

Individual dual use export licence applications – denials to Israel 2017 – 2025

Year	Category	Number of denied applications	End user sector
2017	NIL	NIL	NIL
2018	NIL	NIL	NIL

2019	Category 5 (telecommunications and information security)	1	Private Industry
	Total 2019	1

2020	Category 5 Telecommunications and information security	1	Private Industry
	Category 7 Navigation and avionics	1	Private Industry
	Total 2020	2

2021	NIL	NIL	NIL
2022	NIL	NIL	NIL
2023	NIL	NIL	NIL

2024	Category 5 Telecommunications and information security	4	Defence/Aerospace Industry
	Total 2024	4

2025	Category 5 Telecommunications and information security	2	Defence/Aerospace Industry
	Total 2025	2