Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

At the recent parliamentary meeting on the Common Foreign and Security Policy held in Bratislava in conjunction with the Presidency, I took the opportunity in any discussions to reaffirm very strongly the Irish position. Officials have told me that predecessors of mine and other people who participated in those parliamentary meetings took the opportunity to outline exactly the Irish position. That is what we should do at all times.

Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh is right in one respect, we had a debate on neutrality when there was a Private Member’s motion on a Friday in the previous Dáil. The Minister of State with responsibility for defence, Deputy Paul Kehoe, was there. I spoke on behalf of Fianna Fáil. President Juncker had not long taken over as President of the European Commission. He had made outlandish statements in regard to common security policy. I recall stating at the time that his remarks were totally reprehensible. When senior Commission officials make comments, we should be quick to pounce on and reject them.