Dara Murphy (Cork North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Like other speakers I am very pleased to be able to make an intervention on this very important issue. Much reference has been made to the haste surrounding the debate but it is important to remember that we lived through this debate and finally the Lisbon treaty came into effect on 1 December 2009. We are living in an ever-changing world with very significant challenges and constantly transforming threats to security. Co-operation with respect to security and defence will, sadly, have to continue to play an increasing role across the European Union.

I was saddened and worried to hear Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan mention that there were no threats to Ireland and that we are a neutral country and an island. It would be wonderful if that were the case but, sadly, that is deeply untrue. We may not know from where exactly the threats are coming but we cannot blindly believe that we somehow are immune to some of the terrible threats and successful actions from the depraved minds of terrorists across the world, including in Europe. National defence policy and spending must reflect the seriousness of the commitments to the tasks to address the challenges ahead.

I listened with particular interest to the contribution of Deputy Lisa Chambers. She is correct that we need to have much more debate in this House about where this country is going in terms of protecting the security of our citizens on this island and in the European Union where tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of them are living. I do not believe that when the debate takes place people within the Parliament will continue to take the view that Ireland should not play its role.

There has been discussion about how much money should be spent on defence. It is a NATO commitment, not a commitment from member states such as Ireland, to increase defence spending to 2% of GDP. That said, I strongly believe that in order to fulfil our United Nations and peacekeeping commitments we should also seek to increase our spending on security and defence.

Much reference in the debate has centred on comments from European politicians such as President Macron. They are entitled to their opinion but we have a Constitution and a Parliament and we can determine our own decisions. Europe has many politicians who from time to time make pronouncements with which we do not agree. We are not subject to those individual opinions because we have our own procedures. Many politicians within the EPP, the European Peoples Party, the largest political grouping, have also been mentioned. At the congress of the EPP some months ago it was made very clear that PESCO will allow member states which are able and willing to work together within the European framework to improve their common defence and solidarity but it went on to say that this would not prejudice the specific character of the security and defence policy of member states. That is the clear policy of the largest political family in Europe which enshrines in its declaration the independence and nature of Ireland's neutrality.

It is vital that we do not forget for one second what PESCO is seeking to achieve. It is all too easy to be part of the hard left family of parties in Europe who continue not to take the responsibility of trying to achieve what PESCO is seeking to achieve, namely, to have co-operation to save the lives of European people, including Irish people, by working together given that we must accept there is now very significant co-ordination among terrorist organisations to attack us all. We all stood in this House following the attacks in Paris and said it was an attack on Europe and Europeans. We must work together to ensure that we protect ourselves and take our responsibility seriously as a wealthy, modern European country. I strongly support the collaboration between the two largest parties and I hope the others will stop playing party politics as they did with the passenger name recognition measure in the European Parliament, another measure to protect the safety of Europeans, and that we can all work together to ensure there is greater co-ordination to protect the people of Ireland, Irish people in Europe and other Europeans and partner countries such as Tunisia and others who need our support in these difficult times.

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