Irish neutrality is fully protected under the provisions of the Lisbon Treaty ? Ireland has secured a legal guarantee from our EU partners on this very point ? Issues concerning defence matters are for Ireland to decide alone -



Pat the Cope Gallagher MEP for the North and West today said that ?Irish neutrality is fully protected under the terms of the Lisbon Treaty.

The reality is that many people opposed the Lisbon Treaty last year because they believed that the treaty might affect Irish neutrality.

That is why the Irish Government negotiated a legally binding guarantee on this very point with our EU partners.

The 27 EU leaders on June 18th last agreed that the terms of the Lisbon Treaty fully protects Irish neutrality, it will not introduce conscription and levels of defence expenditure are a matter for each individual member state to decide themselves.

Moreover, the triple lock system remains in place.

This means that Irish peacekeeping forces cannot serve abroad unless it is with the support of the Irish Government, Dáil Éireann and it is under a specific mandate of the United Nations.

The bottom line is that issues concerning defence matters are matter for Ireland to deal with alone.?



ENDS.



September 9th 2009.