Doubts about the value of the proposed Forum on Europe have been expressed by the chairman of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs, Mr Desmond O'Malley. While accepting that it would not do any harm, "I honestly don't believe it will do a great deal of good either."
He told a meeting of the committee at Leinster House that there was a tradition in politics of responding to a difficult problem by setting up "some kind of forum" or by spending money on the problem.
He believed the best way of bringing European issues to a more democratic level was for the European Affairs Committee to examine draft directives and regulations in advance. The news media had an unhappy tendency to categorise people as either Eurosceptics or Europhiles. If you said anything intelligent you were ignored.
Mr O'Malley said he could not see how another referendum on the Nice Treaty could be avoided.
There were 12 states in central and eastern Europe, nearly all of which had endured occupation and totalitarian regimes. "They need the support and sustenance of this [European] Union." The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, who was presenting the estimate of his Department to the committee, said the forum would be established in the near future and the views of all would be sought. The real challenge would be to engage "the wider community" and contribute to a deeper understanding of how the EU operated.
"The referendum result was a disappointment, and a setback for all of us committed to an enlarged Union. We must all reflect on the difficulties encountered in persuading the public to support the treaty," Mr Cowen said.
Mr Michael O'Kennedy (Fianna Fail) said he knew the Minister to be a man of some passion, spirit and conviction but this was not reflected in the text of his speech to the committee. "What is missing is the vision that I know this Minister is capable of," he said.
People such as Joschka Fischer, Lionel Jospin and Romano Prodi had given major speeches on the future of Europe but why had there been no Irish equivalent during the referendum campaign? "Why didn't we give our vision?"
On a separate topic, the Fine Gael spokesman on Foreign Affairs, Mr Jim O'Keeffe, complained about the treatment of people in permanent, non-marital relationships with diplomats who were posted abroad. These relationships were not recognised or supported - airfares were not paid for unmarried partners.
Mr Cowen replied that the issue was under discussion with the Department of Finance and was being dealt with as part of a comprehensive approach.