Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 3 July 2025

Committee on Defence and National Security

General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed)

2:00 am

Mr. Stephen Kelly:

None of them had the same legislation we have but they all had different legal protections. Austria's neutrality dates back to its state treaty when it got its independence. Its neutrality has a very clear legal and constitutional basis. Yugoslavia no longer exists. I do not know exactly what the legal basis was for its neutrality or for Finland's neutrality but while other neutral countries may not have the triple lock, they have different protections. In many cases, these are protections that go beyond the triple lock. Malta, for example, has neutrality in its constitution-----