Ninety-sixth plenary session
A sharp divergence of views was evident from today’s debate at the National Forum On Europe in Dublin on EU foreign policy provisions in the Treaty of Lisbon and the implications for Ireland’s policy of military neutrality.
The former President of the European Parliament, Pat Cox (pictured above), told the Forum that Irish neutrality is protected in the Lisbon Treaty. “Unanimity remains the rule for security and defence. No crisis management mission can be launched without our assent. Common defence cannot be agreed without our support and is subject to referendum in Ireland,” he said. “The Lisbon Treaty makes relatively modest changes which do not alter our national position.”
He also said that the specific character of neutral and non aligned member states was recognised and protected. “There is no mechanism to oblige member states to increase military expenditure and Ireland maintains the ‘triple lock’ requirement for troop deployments.”
However, Joe Noonan, the other keynote speaker, argued that the Treaty marked the transition of the EU from a primarily economic and political body to a military power with global ambitions. The Cork solicitor was an expert witness in the landmark Crotty judgment which provides the legal basis on which the referendum is being held on the Lisbon Treaty. He described the Lisbon Treaty as making “dramatic changes” in this area.
“The Lisbon treaty gives the EU the essential hallmarks of a military alliance. Ireland is going along with that development. Government claims that this makes no difference to its policy of neutrality do not stand up to scrutiny once we read the Lisbon text,” said Mr Noonan.”
Opening the debate, Pat Cox, gave a wide-ranging outline of how and why the EU’s foreign, security and defence policies had evolved, including in response to the “murderous” breakdown of the former Yugoslavia. “The ethnic cleansing of the Balkans revealed to the EU on its own doorstep the full extent of the gap between its foreign policy aspirations and its capacity to act”, he added
The former President of the European Parliament also defended the mutual assistance clause proposed in the Lisbon Treaty which introduces an obligation of aid and assistance to any member state which is the victim of armed aggression on its territory. “It is clearly stated that this obligation shall not prejudice the specific character of the security and defence policy of certain member states. No implementation mechanism is proposed leaving it for Ireland to make its own sovereign decision on whether and how to come to another member state’s assistance.”
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