Government of Ireland

Rule Changes

Bill at committee stage; ministers and military planners weighing new overseas missions

Ireland's Dáil passed the Defence (Amendment) Bill by 79 votes to 71 on October 21, the first stage of removing the United Nations Security Council's veto over where Irish soldiers deploy. The bill swaps the UN mandate requirement for a broader 'relevant international force' definition, which would let troops join European Union and OSCE missions without Security Council approval.

Updated Oct 24