Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to take part in this discussion. It is hard to believe that 50 years have gone by since we signed up to what was the European Economic Community, and 72 years since the Schuman Declaration. It is hard to imagine that. I thank the other Members for their written speeches. I note what the Taoiseach said: "those convinced that Ireland's future lay in Europe showed the courage to imagine a new Ireland". After 50 years, we are at the point where we need the courage to imagine a new Europe, because the Europe that was set up for peace has not happened. I am aware that the Minister of State disagrees with me. I will come to the figures, which are absolutely astronomical.

I referred to them last week in the Dáil and I will repeat what is being spent on military that we know about. At some stage, rather than the Minister of State just shaking his head, he will have to deal with these facts. I am a committed European. I campaigned against the Lisbon treaty because of the militarisation of Europe, which was clearly set out, and the freeing up of the neoliberal agenda that has commodified everything.

I say that, while at the same time saying that I am a committed European. I spent a substantial period of time in Europe, as did my family. This is not a simplistic thing. I understand that under Article 9 or 10, decisions in the EU will be made as close as possible to those on the ground. That has never happened. We have come to a point where it is Europe Day, but we should have a planet day because we are facing an existential threat in regard to climate change and neoliberalism, which Chomsky referred to as neither new nor liberal. It is a commodification of every service that we know. There is a price on everything, but a value on absolutely nothing.

While the EU ostensibly and theoretically started out on a good foot to prevent war after the horrible Second World War, it went off in a different direction gradually over the years. More cynical people would say it was there from the beginning. I would like to take a more benign view that it happened gradually and became more and more of a military force. I will again repeat for the record why I say that.

The Minister of State might note a report I referred to last week,At what cost? Funding the EU’s security, defence, and border policies, 2021–2027, from StateWatch, regarding transnational justice. The Minister might look at that. The Ceann Comhairle happened to be in the Chair when I quoted the figures last week. They are so astronomical that I doubted them. The EU increased security, defence and military budgets between 2012 and 2027 by 123%, compared with the last budget round of €19.7 billion. EU funding of law enforcement, border control and military research is 31 times higher, at €43.9 billion, than the funding for rights, values and justice, at €1.4 billion. The largest increase is the European Defence Fund, which has a budget of nearly €8 billion. Again, I doubted this figure and went back and checked it. It increased by 1,256%. This money will, for the first time, be used for the research and development of high-tech military weapons. What I said last week is on the record. The biggest figure is for the EU border agency, Frontex, which jumped by 200% in less than 20 years. I did not believe these figures. I know this debate is not interactive. I wish it was. There is no doubt that, at every level, no matter what criteria we use, we are moving closer and closer to a militarised Europe.

We are also moving closer to a consensus-type mentality when we know in Ireland the damage that does. We need the courage to stand up and show a different way. That is why we got a seat on the Security Council.

Lately, two men showed tremendous courage and I want to compliment them. I did not get a chance to do so on the last occasion. I understand they are in their 80s and 90s. They took direct action in Shannon and a jury found them not guilty on two of the charges and fined them on another charge. The two men, Tarak Kauff and Ken Mayers, are members of an anti-war group, Veterans for Peace. I want to put their names on the record because they are veterans of Vietnam. They took courage into their hands because they want to draw attention to what is happening in Shannon, which millions of American soldiers are passing through on their way to war. I do not know how long we have used this language in the Dáil. I have been using it, along with my colleagues, and I was only elected in February 2016. We are constantly told to bring the evidence to the House if we think there is something on the planes. Of course, we cannot do that. These men took courage in their hands and tried to do what was right.

I refer to EU policy regarding Frontex and building up the borders, and the amount of money that has been spent on that. We distinguish between different types of refugees. All war is horrible. I am on record as having utterly condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but it is my duty to question what we are doing as a country with our policy of neutrality. I am sorry if the Minister of State is getting restless, if his body language is anything to go by. At what point will we bring some honesty to our discussion on where Europe is going? At what point will we bring some clarity on what we are spending on the military-industrial complex? As has been mentioned, arms are going to Saudi Arabia to slaughter people in Yemen. When will we have honesty about our attitude to Israel and the fact we are ignoring the report from Amnesty International that stated it is operating an apartheid regime?

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