Our military neutrality conforms fully with all EU treaties. Nothing in those or Nice changes that, writes Niall Andrews MEP
It is time to dispel the fear that the Nice Treaty will lead to conscription. There is no basis for this argument and it is not provided for in the treaty.
The facts clearly indicate that conscription is on the way out in the individual member-states and is not on the EU's agenda. What the Nice Treaty does is put in place new decision-making rules for an enlarged community.
The trend to end conscription has been evident in EU member-states for years. There is no provision for conscription in most states now. It is a totally sovereign decision.
There is no conscription in Ireland, the UK and Luxembourg. Belgium and the Netherlands abolished it in 1992 and 1996 respectively. Italy's Defence Minister has just re-confirmed his country's plans to abolish conscription as swiftly as possible. This is not an isolated decision.
France has moved from conscription to an all-professional army. Spain and Portugal have decided to abolish conscription and Germany's plans to reduce the size of its army will also mean scaling-down conscription. It has nothing to do with the Nice Treaty. To suggest otherwise is to deliberately raise unfounded concerns.
Our position of military neutrality conforms fully with the EU treaties. Nothing in the existing EU treaties or the Nice Treaty changes this.
Contrary to the claims by the No side in the Nice Treaty referendum, the EU member-states are not proposing a European army and have substantially demilitarised since 1989.
Apart from Ireland, three other neutral states, Finland, Austria and Sweden, have already ratified the Nice Treaty.
We should never forget that the European Union was formed in the aftermath of two great wars which devastated Europe, including the countries which now want to become part of the EU.
The European Union has been built on the desire for peace and co-operation.
It has successfully ensured that our generation has been able to live and work together in an area of peace and prosperity. The enlargement countries want to be part of this. We cannot deny them this chance.
The European Union is active on many fronts. We have used the EU Structural and Cohesion Funds to develop our training skills and to develop Irish industry. We have used it to develop our roads, airports, railways, ports, telecommunications, water and sewerage schemes.
EU aid has contributed generously to cross-Border projects and has provided €1.3 billion since 1995 towards the peace process which it continues to support.
It has played a fundamentally important role in supporting Irish farmers and rural development: €29 billion has been received in market supports and direct payments.
During the period 1973 to 2001 the EU transferred €15.5 billion to Ireland from the Structural and Cohesion Funds.
We have had 30 years of EU environment policy, which has led to a comprehensive system of environmental controls. The support we have received from the EU has enabled us to invest in essential environmental initiatives in every community in Ireland. We have cleaner air and safer drinking water. Sustainable development is now the key to the EU's future environment policy.
The European Union is not just an economic community. It is the world's leading development partner in terms of trade, aid and direct investment. The EU and the member- states together provide 55 per cent of all official international humanitarian aid. With this aid European taxpayers' money is helping to eradicate poverty in developing countries and to help them integrate into the global economy. Up to the year 2000, the EU's Humanitarian Aid Office, ECHO, had successfully managed aid amounting to €5 billion. ECHO is currently active in some 30 conflict zones and more than 85 countries in the world.
Since the beginning of 2001, for example, the EU has provided more than €100 million in humanitarian aid for Afghan victims. Apart from the United Nations' Oil for Food Programme, the EU is Iraq's main source of humanitarian aid and since 1998 has provided €50 million for different projects. Conscious of the continuing humanitarian problems faced by the vulnerable Iraqi people, the EU has allocated a further €13 million to support the rehabilitation of medical facilities, including primary health centres, tuberculosis clinics and the national blood transfusion centre.
The EU has a strong policy on human rights. In all our agreements with countries outside the EU since 1992 we have included a special clause defining respect for human rights and democracy as "essential elements" in our relationship. No one else has this clause in their bilateral agreements.
The EU which is founded on the principles of liberty, democracy and respect for human rights has made it clear that any country that applies for membership of the EU must respect these principles. Serious and persistent breaches of human rights by any EU member-state will be subject to sanctions. The Nice Treaty extends the objective of promoting the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Niall Andrews is Fianna Fáil MEP for Dublin