Dublin MEP Ciarán Cuffe has reiterated the Green Party call for amendments to the Triple Lock as Tánaiste Micheál Martin seeks Cabinet approval to present related legislation in June. Cuffe says that, should Cabinet approve Martin’s request, the triple lock changes proposed by the Green Party should be considered in the drafting process. He added that the Green Party proposals will protect the State’s neutrality policy while allowing the Irish Defence Forces to respond more effectively to calls for multilateral peacekeeping missions. 

Ciarán Cuffe MEP said:

“Ireland’s neutrality policy is a key strength that has served us well in our peacekeeping role abroad, and it should be protected. The current triple lock mechanism should be modernised, however, because it gives undue say to authoritarian regimes like Russia over whether Ireland engages in peacekeeping operations. Ireland cannot rely on UN General Assembly resolutions otherwise, because there is no mechanism to actually implement these decisions. 

“The Green Party has put forward a sensible proposal to update, not scrap, the triple lock, that will better equip our Defence Forces to respond to calls for peacekeeping and protect our neutrality policy. Under this proposal, any deployment for peacekeeping should be approved by the Dáil, reviewed by the Seanad, and supported by a UN(Security Council or General Assembly) resolution or, failing such a resolution, by a decision of a regional organisation which adheres to the UN Charter. It is a sound and carefully constructed proposal which should be on the table when any changes to the triple lock are discussed by the Government.” 

The Green Party has proposed a modernised triple lock mechanism, under which any deployment for peacekeeping missions should be approved by Dáil Éireann, reviewed by Seanad Éireann, and supported by either a UN (Security Council or General Assembly) resolution or, failing such resolution, by a decision of a regional organisation which recognises and complies with Chapter VIII of the UN Charter. Examples of such organisations are the African Union or the European Union. Deployment for peace enforcement missions, which critically can involve the use of military force, would still need UN Security Council approval as stated in Article 53 of the same charter chapter, under the Green Party proposal. 

For more information on the Green Party proposal, read the Opinion by Ciarán Cuffe MEP published here.