Sinn Féin MEP Matt Carthy has strongly criticised Irish Government involvement in moves to establish a EU military union, saying that Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are selling out Irish neutrality with zero public debate.
Speaking in European Parliament Matt Carthy said:
“With almost zero public debate, the Fine Gael/Fianna Fáil Government signed Ireland up to PESCO.
“Among the most ludicrous argument proponents asserted was that we needed to sell off Irish neutrality in order to show support for the EU and its values.
“Since when did increasing national defence budgets, creating new military capabilities, fuelling the arms industry and compromising respect for human rights and democracy become core values of the European Union?
“PESCO; the new €5.5bn European Defence Fund and The Action Plan on Military Mobility are just three initiatives of the past six months which show that there is a very strong push going on to establish a military union.
“It is no coincidence that this push is taking part concurrently, but entirely separately, to discussions on the Future of Europe.
“Has democracy in the European Union become such a farce that the response to growing disengagement is to do exactly what was always intended, only quicker and with even less oversight than was originally envisaged?
“Citizens want an EU that delivers for them, for their families, for their communities, for their countries. There is no evidence that they want EU military expansion.
“It is time for the EU for engage with our citizens, it is time to reinforce Irish neutrality – not to hammer the final nail in its coffin.
