Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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121. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if the Citizens Assembly will examine the topic of neutrality and NATO membership; if so, the timeframe in which this will be examined; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33245/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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In recent months, it has become increasingly clear that we are living in a new era in Europe, in which Ireland faces significant new security and defence challenges. In this context, we will need to have a mature debate about our broader approach to security and defence issues in Ireland, including opportunities for cooperation and collaboration at EU level.

The Taoiseach has indicated that the issues involved could potentially be discussed through a Citizens' Assembly or a similar framework. A specific timeframe has not been considered, but the Taoiseach has noted that this could happen during the lifetime of the current Government. For now, the Government's focus remains on tackling the impact of Russia's war on Ukraine, in particular in terms of assisting the Ukrainian people and holding Russia's leadership to account.

More broadly, Ireland’s policy of military neutrality remains an important strand of our foreign policy and is coherent with our active approach to peace support operations, crisis management, conflict resolution, and peacebuilding. The government has no plans to alter this policy or to apply for NATO membership.

We do however recognise the importance of enhanced cooperation between the EU and NATO, particularly where it benefits international peace and security and is focussed on avoiding duplication of structures, systems and interoperability standards, and where it adds clear value in areas such as efforts to combat cyber or hybrid threats.