Senator Malcolm Byrne, speaking in the Seanad, has called for Ireland to work closely with the other non-aligned EU member states, Austria, Finland and Sweden, in shaping the future of European Security and Defence Policy.
Senator Byrne said, "We should explore a shared approach with those countries that have an independent foreign policy as we do. We are facing the same challenges, for instance from cyberattacks, and we can share knowledge and experiences as well as cooperating at European and global level.
“We cannot look to live in splendid isolation and not take defence seriously any more.”
The Senator urged that in marking Ireland’s fifty years of EU membership that we play a significant role in shaping the future of Europe, including enlargement to admit countries such as Ukraine.
