Defence Forces
Dail Éireann — 2026-02-17
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Thomas Byrne (FF), Meath East

The reason we have a constitutional amendment is if we want to change the Constitution. We are not changing the Constitution, it is simply changing legislation. What was agreed at Lisbon is still in the Constitution by virtue of the protocol to the Lisbon treaty. This does not affect it in any way. I am quite sure that whatever referendum the Government would put forward on Europe or defence, Sinn Féin would oppose it as it has opposed every one of them over the years, but what was agreed by the people in the Lisbon treaty is still there. It is still in the Lisbon treaty and, therefore, it is still in our Constitution. This is a change in legislation and a change in procedures as to how we decide and make our own decisions to send troops abroad. It is not a change in our neutrality policy and it does not affect anything. There are many paragraphs in Article 3 of the protocol to the Lisbon treaty that discuss our neutrality policy and describe it, and this does not impact on it in any way.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-02-17/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:38+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-17