Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail)

I move amendment No. 1:

To delete all words after "Seanad Éireann," and substitute the following:

"considering that the Convention on the Future of Europe will shortly be finishing its work on the drafting of a new EU Treaty;

acknowledging that the Government has engaged fully with the work of the Convention, including on security and defence matters;

acknowledging that, as set out in the published draft articles of the new EU Treaty, a decision to move at some stage in the future to a common defence would still continue to be for decision by the European Council acting unanimously and in accordance with member states' respective constitutional requirements;

noting that, as proposed by the Government and as approved by the Irish people in a referendum on the Nice Treaty held in October 2002, the Constitution provides that Ireland may not join an EU common defence and that, as a consequence, further amendment of the Constitution, ratified by the people in a referendum, would be necessary before it could do so;

noting that the published draft articles of the new EU Treaty provide, pending the establishment of an EU common defence, for closer co-operation on mutual defence among those member states that wish to do so;

noting the Government's clear position that it will not commit Ireland to a mutual defence arrangement without the consent of the people in a referendum;

acknowledging that the Maastricht, Amsterdam and Nice Treaties, which include provisions for the framing of a common foreign and security policy, have been approved by the Irish people in successive referenda;