Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We have been involved in PESCO for years now and it has not impacted our military neutrality. Our military neutrality is defined by whether we are members of a military alliance and we are clearly not a member of a military alliance. We are not members of NATO and we do not participate in a European Union common defence pact; there is no such pact. I am at a loss to how the Deputy can suggest there is evidence that our military neutrality is being eroded. We have been part of the EU battle groups for quite some time and they are important for interoperability, for example, with other member states in Europe that could potentially, and do currently, participate with Irish troops in UN peacekeeping missions. For example, in UNIFIL we are working with Polish battalions. We are working in battle groups with fellow European member states, including other neutral states, which this battle group contains so the Deputy's argument does not hold up at all.

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