"Now, five years on, with six reports, nearly 70 plenary meetings, 60 regional meetings and conferences, programmes geared to engage women and young people, publications in plain language and an interactive website, I think that it is fair to say that the forum has touched many people in this country". Thus did Senator Maurice Hayes introduce his remarks on the fifth anniversary of the National Forum on Europe, which he chairs, at a ceremony in Dublin. It is an impressive record for an institution which has become a fixture in the political and civic scene and is a versatile addition to Ireland's engagement with the European Union.
The forum was founded following the rejection of the Nice Treaty in the June 2001 referendum and its acceptance the following year. That rejection was a great blow to the political establishment. The low turnout underlined a popular disconnection with the issues which gave those opposed to deepening European integration an opportunity to make their voices heard. The forum was one of the ways in which the substantial majority in favour of the treaty was mobilised in October 2002, by bringing its contents and the consequences of a definitive No to greater public attention.
While this was the genesis of the Forum for Europe, it was not its function. Rather was it designed to provide a politically neutral public space within which political views and analyses of all kinds on the EU could be put forward and debated. Its structure and membership was intended to include critics and supporters of the EU, reflecting political representation in the Oireachtas as well as campaigning groups from civil society. Drawing on the model established by the New Ireland Forum and the Forum on Peace and Reconciliation, a legitimacy combining representation with inclusiveness was successfully established. It has stood the test of time, complexity and running disagreements very well, lubricated by Senator Hayes's masterly chairmanship.
Two worthwhile political objectives have thereby been accomplished. Within the political system broadly defined, the forum has created a platform for more informed debate on EU affairs affecting Ireland's security and foreign policy, without taking from its argumentative capacity.
This has made for a more sophisticated awareness and a greater willingness to engage with different voices and other points of view. A glance at the distinguished international cast of participants in the forum over the last five years confirms that, as do the many tributes paid to its work by other EU member states who lack a similar institution.
The forum has also engaged the political class more effectively with the general public through its regional meetings, conferences, publications and media coverage. The intensity of this engagement ebbs and flows with the pace of events and the quality of political leadership; but it adds a new dimension to our democracy which should not be underestimated or taken for granted.