Sign up to The Irish Times Archive (1859 - 2008)My Account »

THE GOVERNMENT’S decision to close the National Forum on Europe, announced just before Easter after the emergency Budget, is a strange one in a year when it plans to hold another referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. The forum, set up in autumn 2001 after the Nice Treaty was voted down, provided a platform for political parties represented in the Oireachtas to discuss EU affairs in a public setting with Yes and No campaigners, along with a diverse range of civil society and other organisations.

During its lifetime a clear need was identified for such a body in Irish political life, to bridge the gap between citizens and their political representatives about the meaning and effects of European integration. It had a definite if admittedly modest success in carrying out that essential task, whether by its public debates with a wider range of voices than are represented in the Oireachtas, by playing host to visitors from other EU member states, or by explaining and publicising its work. This was not limited to Dublin but regularly involved local meetings and media coverage throughout the State.