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

Does the Minister of State accept, and we have had some of this debate already, that these European Commission recommendations that EU investment in defence would increase from €1.4 million this year to €25 million next year, €90 million in 2020 and then possibly €500 million are an increase in anybody's eyes and us being tied to that would be contrary to our neutrality because we would be pooling and working hand in glove with NATO countries?

In terms of the second Commission proposal, while initially talking about harnessing €25 billion to procure weapons, the proposal's detail also talks of €100 billion. As well as being contrary to neutrality, there is nothing in that to indicate that any saving that such pooling will achieve - in the region of €5 million or €20 billion depending on which part of the proposal one cites - will be ring-fenced to tackle poverty or disease eradication. Rather, it will be reinvested in destructive industry and will be added to proposals contained in terms of creating EU bonds on this, using the European Investment Bank and diverting research funds from the European Structural Investment Fund. Will the Minister of State say that Ireland will oppose all such moves that are likely to add to a growing arms race, that we are a neutral country and we will not contribute in any way to that arms race?

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