Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have been down the road of debating this issue with a number of Ministers for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ministers for Defence and taoisigh. Over the last few years, there has been a growing shift within the EU towards further militarisation by countries which are already quite militarised and which are in NATO and other military alliances. Why should Ireland have anything to do with this? We should be quite categoric in stating that we will have nothing to do with further militarisation and the further co-ordination or concentration of military resources or military policy within the EU. We have already taken a step too far and are involved in the EU battle groups under the British, despite the fact they are withdrawing from the EU. Will Ireland take a very hard public stance against the position taken by Jean-Claude Juncker and other EU Ministers, in particular Defence Ministers?

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