EU treaty marks shift in our defence policy

I WISH to rebut the accusation of inaccuracy levelled at me by Alan Murphy-Reeve whose argument is with the EU presidency, not with me (Letters, February 26).

I quoted accurately (Letters, February 18) what the EU presidency said when it described Article 28A.7 of the Lisbon treaty as a mutual defence clause.

If that makes Mr Murphy-Reeve unhappy, he should take it up with the presidency. Otherwise he risks putting himself into the category of people he gives out about — those who attempt to misrepresent the issue.

He may have to argue with quite a few more people as well as the EU presidency. The EU’s External Policies Directorate’s report confirms that Article 28A.7 reads like a mutual defence clause and compares it to the mutual defence clause in the NATO treaty.

Andrew Duff MEP, who is on the parliament’s foreign affairs committee, says the new defence content in the Lisbon treaty gives so much scope to the EU that it is now time to wind up the other European military alliance — the WEU (that is like NATO, but without the US and Canada). He says, approvingly, the EU will have taken over the WEU’s military role once the Lisbon treaty is in force. Something for us all to ponder there. My initial letter suggests this treaty marks a significant shift in Irish defence policy. I stand over that claim.

Joe Noonan

2 York Terrace

York Hill

Cork