People should vote No in the forthcoming referendum on the Nice Treaty to oppose the militarisation of Europe, the justice and human rights organisation AfrI has said.
The group yesterday published a booklet, written by its chairman, Mr Andy Storey, which it says "demonstrates how, with this treaty, the EU is, for the first time, taking responsibility for military affairs".
Mr Storey, whose booklet is titled The Treaty of Nice, NATO and a European Army, said the group was confident the treaty would be rejected in the vote on June 7th.
The Government, on rejection of this treaty, should negotiate a protocol which exempted the State from participation in new military arrangements in Europe, similar to one already negotiated by Denmark.
The AfrI co-ordinator, Mr Joe Murray, said he was concerned at the undue haste with which the Government was proceeding with the referendum.
There were major military implications in the treaty, despite the Government's assertion it only involved minor technical details dealing with the military.
Mr Storey said a critical aspect of the treaty was Article 1.5, dealing with the provision of the EU's new political and security committee, which AfrI says would have direct control of military matters, including the proposed Rapid Reaction Force.
The Government has pledged 850 soldiers to this 60,000-strong EU force, which would participate in humanitarian, peacekeeping and crisis-management activities.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, has rejected fears over the security and defence implications of the treaty.
He said it made only limited changes to the existing provisions of the common foreign and security policy and these were intended to make it more coherent, more effective and more visible.