Letters to the Editor: The State made a promise on triple lock

One reader says that Minister Micheál Martin must reflect on this historic commitment as a neutral state to the UN rather than military alliances such as Nato

One reader says that Micheál Martin must reflect on this historic commitment as a neutral state to the UN rather than military alliances such as Nato

Following the defeat of the 2001 Nice Treaty referendum, a meeting of EU heads of government in Seville agreed Ireland’s declaration of neutrality and accepted a national declaration spelling out the triple lock. This is the name given to Irish legislation in the Seville Declaration of the Nice Treaty stating members of the Irish Defence Forces shall not serve abroad without the agreement of the Dáil, the Government, and the UN Security Council or the UN General Assembly.

This commitment was a key argument in favour of accepting the Nice Treaty in the second referendum 2002. After the Lisbon Treaty was rejected in 2008, our government again made a national declaration affirming the triple lock, to encourage the Irish people to vote yes in the second referendum.