Sinn Féin MEP for Dublin Lynn Boylan has called on the Irish Government to oppose the moves by 11 Member States to abolish the need for unanimity in foreign policy decision-making.
The call emerged today in a letter from Austria, Denmark, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain and Sweden. These Member States wish to see foreign policy decisions taken by qualified-majority voting rather than unanimity.
MEP Boylan said:
“Any move away from unanimity would fundamentally alter the nature of the European Union and represents a critical threat to Irish neutrality and the grounding of our foreign policy in human rights and international law. Allowing other EU Member States, many of whom are NATO members, to dictate our foreign policy would erode Ireland’s neutrality and our ability to chart an independent foreign policy based on the universality of international law.
“If we look to many Member States’ responses to the genocide in Gaza, the illegal war in Iran and the onslaught against the Lebanese people, it is clear to see these proposals would likely entail Ireland being forced to adopt foreign policy positions that are completely against the very basic principles of international law and human rights.
“At this moment, when Ireland holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Irish Government should be using its position to push the EU and its Member States to recommit to the UN Charter and to end their shameful double standards. Ireland has a proud record on peacekeeping, disarmament and multilateralism and these proposals would tie our foreign policy to the policies of increasingly militaristic EU Member States who directly work against these principles.
“Ending the veto has been consistently raised in the context of the previous Hungarian Government and their appalling record on rule of law and human rights. Yet we are being presented with a scenario where those countries who reject the rule of international law and the UN Charter would be able to drive EU foreign policy.
“No one in Ireland has ever voted for this. It has no democratic legitimacy and must be firmly rejected to safeguard our neutrality and independent foreign policy.”
The Irish Government has the chance to affirm these principles as EU defence ministers meet in Ireland today.”
