Dáil debates

Tuesday, 9 April 2019

Pre-European Council Meeting: Statements

 

5:25 pm

Photo of David CullinaneDavid Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

There are increasing calls from within the European Council for a European army. Angela Merkel has publicly backed the idea of creating what she calls a "real, true" army for the European Union. She said the EU "will have to create a European intervention unit with which Europe can act on the ground where necessary". This echoed similar comments by Jean-Claude Juncker who said "a common European army would show the world that there would never again be war in Europe". This is an increasingly worrying development. Having a militarised EU and an EU army is not the way to ensure we do not have war in Europe. I would say the last thing the world needs is an increasingly militarised EU.

In recent years, the European army agenda has been increasing at rapid pace. This agenda includes increased military and defence budgets as well as moves towards a European defence union. This includes a vast increase in funding for military purposes. Post 2020, these funds will go from €500 million to €13 billion, a 2,000% increase, and this is on top of a 180% increase for internal EU security and a 260% increase for migration and borders.

The people I represent and meet, the people the Taoiseach claims to speak to, although I do not believe he represents them, are ordinary working people who find it hard to make ends meet. They are people who work and who struggle to pay mortgages and meet the costs of childcare and sending their children to education. They do not want their taxpayers' money, the money they earn, spent on a militarised EU. They want taxpayers' money spent on increasing public services and reducing the cost of living for those working people, who get up early in the morning, as the Taoiseach said, and go out and work.

This EU agenda of militarising Europe is not supported by the majority of people who live in this State and, I would argue, across the island. Peacekeeping and having EU peacekeeping operations is something we and the majority of people support. The figures I have given and the increased military spend, however, are not in the interests of smaller nations such as Ireland. While the Taoiseach may have his own view, and his party is entitled to its view, it is my clear understanding that the majority of Irish people support Irish neutrality and the majority, North and South, do not want to see a European army. Whether it is the view of Guy Verhofstadt, of Jean-Claude Juncker, or of any of these federalists who want a more federal Europe, a European army, and more taxpayers' money from Ireland and elsewhere spent on a militarised Europe, it is not something we should support. It is not something we in Sinn Féin will support and I do not believe it is something the Irish people will support. We have a Private Members' motion on Irish neutrality this evening and these issues will be debated. It is an issue that surfaces again at the European Council meeting and it is something that will concern many people across the island of Ireland.

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