Irish Neutrality is Fully Protected Under Lisbon - Minister O’Dea

Minister for Defence Mr. Willie O’Dea TD has today (Saturday September 5th) completely rejected claims by the Peace and Neutrality Alliance that the Lisbon Treaty threatens Irish neutrality.

Minister O’Dea said: “PANA’s claim that the Lisbon Treaty will undermine Ireland’s traditional policy of neutrality is a complete distortion of fact. There is nothing whatsoever in the Lisbon Treaty that could conceivably pose any kind of threat to Irish neutrality.  The Referendum Commission whose sole task is to give independent objective advice on the Lisbon Treaty has this week clearly stated: ‘If the Lisbon Treaty is ratified, decisions on defence and foreign policy would continue to be made unanimously.’ It added: ‘The present arrangements for Ireland’s military neutrality would continue. The European Council decision states that the Lisbon Treaty does not affect or prejudice Ireland’s traditional policy of neutrality.”

“Earlier this year the Peace and Neutrality Alliance said there would be a ‘Yes’ vote on Lisbon if there was a legal guarantee on neutrality. We got this. In April, the same alliance urged us to insist on a protocol. We got that too. Let me quote from our legally binding guarantee, soon to be enshrined in a protocol. It states: ‘The Treaty of Lisbon does not affect or prejudice Ireland’s traditional policy of military neutrality... The Treaty of Lisbon does not provide for the creation of a European army or for conscription to any military formation . . . It does not affect the right of Ireland to determine the nature and volume of its defence and security expenditure.’

I repeat ‘The Treaty of Lisbon does not affect or prejudice Ireland’s traditional policy of military neutrality’. Fair-minded people will, I believe, see this guarantee as putting to rest the various concerns about defence and security that surfaced last year. Ireland will remain in full control over all of its security and defence issues under Lisbon. That PANA should suggest otherwise shows that it is a group, which is completely divorced from reality. With just under a month to go until the Referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, my hope is that the debate will be rooted in informed comment rather than wild unsubstantiated claims. We cannot allow groups such as PANA to derail the truth.”