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

In terms of the normal Estimates process and the Votes of Departments – the Vote of my Department and the Vote of the Department of Defence - the funding that gets allocated will be voted on by the Dáil. We are part of the European Common Security and Defence Policy. We opted into that over 20 years ago. It is one of the reasons why I think it is important that we have our national conversation on security policy and foreign policy because many people do not realise we have been part of the Common Security and Defence Policy of the European Union since the beginning. Denmark recently opted in, having opted out at the beginning. It is in that context that the temporary peace facility has evolved and developed.

I think it makes a lot of sense when we look at the Wagner Group, for example, and the new mercenaries, or call them what you like. They are now having a much more malign impact on the world, for example, if we look at Mali and the Sahel and the non-government actors there, including the various militia and mercenary forces. If we want to protect the international rules-based order, there is a role for a constructive approach from a European Union perspective.

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