Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank People Before Profit for tabling this legislation and giving us the opportunity to have this important debate. Like many Deputies across the House, I am a passionate believer in Ireland's military neutrality. That is because I am convinced our geopolitical, security and defence interests are best served by not being part of any military alliance. Because of that role, Irish Governments, historically, have had a stronger hand in the promotion of diplomacy, de-escalation and conflict resolution, and our Defence Forces have played a very proud role in UN peacekeeping missions.

That is why I, like many others, do not support Ireland joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO. That organisation, in many of its members’ roles in recent conflicts in modern times, speaks for itself.

I also have a genuine concern with the proposition and ongoing debate around an EU common defence. Unlike some people, I have been clear that the advance of an EU common defence has been incredibly slow. The Minister knows that as well as I do. That speaks to the fact that the geopolitical, strategic and defence interests of the member states of the European Union are not aligned. Ours, in particular, are not aligned with many of the more powerful interests that would be the driving forces behind such a common defence. While to date progress, as some would see it, on that front has been limited, I am genuinely concerned that the appalling, unjustified and illegal war that is currently taking place by Russia in Ukraine is being used by some to try and advance a separate EU common defence agenda. That is something I, as well as other colleagues, strongly oppose.

My strong view, and I think the Minister agrees with some of this, is that we should be spending far more time on promoting the reform of the United Nations and on strengthening the role of the United Nations so that it can become an even better player on the international stage to advance many of the issues in which the Minister himself is directly involved in his position on the UN Security Council. These are the key issues of conflict resolution, de-escalation and peacekeeping. That is where our efforts, and indeed those of our European partners, should be and not on a common defence.

The one area on which I agree with the Minister is that we should have a reasoned and evidence-based debate. I can think of no better way of doing that than in a referendum, as we showed through marriage equality and repeal. It is on that basis I am wholeheartedly supporting this call for a referendum and participating in the debate that follows.

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