The National Forum on Europe is bringing the debate on Europe’s future to the regions in an effort to address public concern and confusion over enlargement and the Nice Treaty.
"The forum wants to get the debate out there and stimulated amongst the people who are not politically active - the don’t knows and those who did not vote in the [Nice Treaty] referendum," said forum spokesman Mr Pat Bourne.
The regional tour will begin tonight in Waterford and will include meetings in Tullamore, Limerick, Athlone, Donegal, Monaghan, Tallaght, and Ballymun.
The regional meetings will continue, said Mr Bourne, with a Galway meeting already planned for March and future tours being considered. The forum held a meeting in Cork during the last series of meetings, which were mainly held in Dublin Castle.
Mr Bourne said the meetings are not supposed to be part of a party political process but to inform people who were unsure of the issues involved in the Nice Treaty referendum - not only enlargement but militarisation, European Parliament membership and future plans for Europe.
Following the tour, the Forum will resume in Dublin Castle with at least two days devoted to hearing the public submissions.
The Forum has received at least 60 "comprehensive and significant" submissions, Mr Bourne said. Many have been from the general public as well as organisations such as the Irish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and Ireland for Europe, and MEPs, politicians and local representatives.
Every word spoken during the forum meetings and all the submissions can be accessed on the forum's website, www.forumoneurope.ie.