The Government has been warned that Ireland could end up contributing over €7 billion indirectly to massive defence spends in Europe through its EU contributions but will benefit little in return.
A presentation was made to a number of government bodies, including the Department of Defence, warning how Ireland faces losing out in the coming years as Europe prioritises boosting defence spending.
The warning comes as work continues in negotiating the EU’s next budget – the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) – which will cover the years 2028 to 2034.
Behind the scenes across Government, and contained in a briefing document, there are gathering concerns that the EU budget will force Ireland to indirectly fund EU defence all the while losing out in money in real terms because of a change in agriculture funding.
Irish former independent politician and retired soldier Cathal Berry joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.