We are no longer neutral. You don’t need a referendum to join.”

The“Ireland take a step towards Boy. Head of Government (Taoiseach) Michel Martin He stated that there would be no need for a referendum to join NATO, as it was a political decision by the government. After Sweden and Finland, another country is taking a step towards military organization. Martin added that the Citizens’ Association might be in a better position to take an “informed and evidence-based approach” to assessing the issue.

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Ireland towards NATO, what is happening

We need to think about Ireland’s military impartiality and our military neutrality. “We are not politically neutral,” Martin said. We do not need a referendum to join NATO. He continued, “It is a political decision of the government.” While there would be a need for a referendum to join an EU defense pact, if it were to be formally developed and proclaimed, because there are provisions in the Irish constitution that require it.

Does Dublin help Ukraine?

Ireland is already part of the EU’s defense coordination efforts, including initiatives to “develop greater interoperability among our defense forces” through peacekeeping missions. “We have been part of the European security and defense process and … discussions for some time, for many years now,” he said, noting that Ireland’s position “has in no way harmed or impeded the country’s broader response to the European Union” to Ukraine. “I think there is a need for reflection, but he is informed and not divided,” he said. “At the moment, I am focused on maintaining unity of purpose which is very clear in Ireland in terms of our overall approach to Ukraine.”

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Martin was in Strasbourg to speak to the European Parliament, marking the 50th anniversary of Ireland’s decision to join the European Economic Community, and delivered a speech expressing his solidarity with Ukraine and its support for its ambitions to join the European Union. ‘European Union. “The brutal Russian aggression and invasion of Ukraine demonstrate the extent of the threat to pluralism, human decency and the rule of international law,” he said. All member states have a role to play in the future of defense and security policy. We have to support each other.”

Why would we have a democratic referendum when we could have another non-democratic citizen assembly and present their results as representative? Surprisingly, people who talk about the need to defend democracy fear it so much in their own countries. https://t.co/JLGXVTQDzu

– Robert Burke (@robertburke84) 8 June 2022

Why Ireland is not a member of NATO?

Ireland has followed a completely neutral policy since World War II. The main reason was the fear of possible British retaliation if it joined the Axis powers. After the conflict, Dublin maintained this policy like other European countries: for example Switzerland. Then, when the different spheres of influence and the different organizations in Europe began to be defined, Ireland decided not to take sides. Not only. He also withdrew from the Commonwealth in 1949. But for a few years now the country has been revolutionizing both domestic and foreign policy.

internal debate

Not everyone agrees with Martin about the possibility of Ireland joining NATO without a referendum. Dr David Kenny, assistant professor at Trinity Law School, said the law on this point was “clear enough”. “The courts have not made a direct ruling on this point, but based on our current case law, it would be a significant departure from one of the most important Supreme Court rulings in Irish constitutional law to join NATO without a referendum,” he said. the magazine. He cited the 1987 Supreme Court case, Crotty v an Taoiseach, which focused on the government’s attempt to ratify Single European Law through an ordinary Act of Parliament. “There was the potential for joint foreign policy efforts under the EU treaty amendments. The courts argued that by potentially ceding sovereignty over foreign policy decision-making, the government would have crossed the constitutional line,” he explained.