In a thoughtful contribution to the Lisbon Treaty debate, Lucinda Creighton, FG Foreign Affairs spokeswoman, has cited humanitarian intervention missions as another reason for supporting the Lisbon Treaty. Unfortunately, her intervention is as significant for what it omits to say as for the arguments it puts on the table.

 

With Irish troops about to hold the moral high ground in their forthcoming Chad operation, it is a good time to reaffirm the value of military cooperation with our European partners.

Ms. Creighton emphasizes the value of structured and permanent patterns of cooperation. the corollary, of course, is that such missions might be less successful if they are to be reinvented every time, at a moment’s notice.

Creighton’s argument is cogent - up to a point. A I will argue later, she does not really show how the Lisbon Treaty itself is the ONLY way of securing such long-term cooperation patterns. Although they might be politically contentious, Ireland could just as easily establish long-term cooperation arrangements with NATO, many of whose members are not in the Union. This is not a recommendation: I simply make the point that the EU is not the only access point to a meaningful global role.

Her point about sovereignty also sounds credible. Technically speaking, the triple lock is there for all to see. However, there is an increasingly powerful but informal pressure of “solidarity” that is chipping away at Irish freedom of action. A European treaty that reaffirms national interests and precludes the obligatory solidarity would be a clearer expression of where Ireland ought to be.

Lucinda Creighton’s contribution is positive but it subtly misses out on significant points. So, here’s one topic to which I will return later.

See story from RTE: RTÉ News: FG calls on public to back Lisbon Treaty