National Forum on Europe
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The National Forum on Europe ( ga, Fóram Náisiúnta um an Eoraip) was established by
Taoiseach The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legislature) and the o ...
Bertie Ahern Bartholomew Patrick "Bertie" Ahern (born 12 September 1951) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach from 1997 to 2008, Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1994 to 2008, Leader of the Opposition from 1994 to 1997, Tánaiste a ...
, TD, in the aftermath of the rejection of the
Treaty of Nice The Treaty of Nice was signed by European leaders on 26 February 2001 and came into force on 1 February 2003. It amended the Maastricht Treaty (or the Treaty on European Union) and the Treaty of Rome (or the Treaty establishing the European C ...
by the Irish people in 2001. It exists to provide a forum for debate between senior politicians in
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
and informed observers from abroad, to promote wider public participation and to inform the Irish public in a non-partisan and neutral manner about developments in the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
.


Working of the Forum

The operation of the Forum was based on the
Forum for Peace and Reconciliation The Forum for Peace and Reconciliation ( ga, an Fóram um Shíocháin agus Athmhuintearas) was a forum established by the government of Ireland in October 1994 as part of the Northern Ireland peace process. Initiation The Forum was envisaged in ...
(FPR), with an independent secretariat headed by the Assistant Secretary from the Department of the Taoiseach, and membership consisted of representatives from the Oireachtas and nominees based on the 1997 general election. The Observer Pillar of the Forum played a full part in all of its work. It included groups who had campaigned for and against the Nice Treaty and social partner organisations like IBEC, Irish Congress of Trade Unions and European Anti Poverty Network. Representatives of political parties in Ireland and figures from the European Parliament addressed the forum, such as Peter Sutherland, Pat Cox, Jens Peter Bonde MEP, and David Byrne (former Commissioner). A number of organisations made presentations and submissions, such as the Irish Farmers Association, National Platform, People's Movement, Institute for European Affairs,
Peace and Neutrality Alliance , image = Pana logo.gif , formation = 1996 , type = NGO , headquarters = 17 Castle Street, Dalkey, Co. Dublin, Ireland , leader_title = Chairman , leader_name = Roger Cole , website www.pana.ie Peace and Neutrali ...
,
Social Democratic and Labour Party The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) ( ga, Páirtí Sóisialta Daonlathach an Lucht Oibre) is a social-democratic and Irish nationalist political party in Northern Ireland. The SDLP currently has eight members in the Northern Ireland ...
(SDLP),
Irish Business and Employers Confederation Ibec is an Irish business representative lobbying organisation and human resources services provider According to the Standards in Public Office Commission register it is the organisation that is doing "the most lobbying" in Ireland. Ibec is ...
(IBEC), Union representatives, and the representatives of the main churches in Ireland. The forum held sessions in
Dublin Castle Dublin Castle ( ga, Caisleán Bhaile Átha Cliath) is a former Motte-and-bailey castle and current Irish government complex and conference centre. It was chosen for its position at the highest point of central Dublin. Until 1922 it was the s ...
, but also a number of events and meetings around the country. RTÉ Broadcaster Mr
Derek Davis Derek Davis (26 April 1948 – 13 May 2015) was an Irish broadcaster. On television, he co-hosted '' Live at 3'', presented '' Davis at Large'' and '' Out of the Blue'' and won ''Celebrity Bainisteoir''. Early life Davis was born in Bangor, ...
was the host at one of the sessions for the forum in Kilmainham.


EU Constitution

The forum held discussions on the EU Constitution, and debates around Ireland, it also hosted events where politicians spoke in favour the Constitution. After the rejection by the people of France and the Netherlands, the forum or government did not support a referendum on the EU Constitution. A proposal in the Forum from the European Anti Poverty Network that there should be a cross-cutting clause requiring all EU institutions to take account of social inclusion in al policies was taken up by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and, on the proposal of the Irish Government, became part of the Constitution and subsequently the Lisbon Treaty.


Lisbon Treaty

The Forum was used in the buildup to the
Lisbon Treaty The Treaty of Lisbon (initially known as the Reform Treaty) is an international agreement that amends the two treaties which form the constitutional basis of the European Union (EU). The Treaty of Lisbon, which was signed by the EU member sta ...
and after the treaty's rejection, in it was used as a platform for discussion on the treaty.


Closure of the Forum

In April 2009 the forum was closed by a taoiseach
Brian Cowen Brian Bernard Cowen (born 10 January 1960) is an Irish former politician who served as Taoiseach and Leader of Fianna Fáil from 2008 to 2011. Cowen was elected to Dáil Éireann in 1984, for the constituency of Laois–Offaly and served in a ...
, the decision was controversial and condemned by a variety of groups, particularly those who campaigned against the Lisbon treaty, such as the Peoples Movement, The Workers Party, and others such as the European Anti Poverty Network which saw it as a useful forum for debate on European issues not confined to referendums. Spokesperson for the pro-Lisbon Treaty Labour Party, Joe Costello, also condemned the closure of the forum, as did his party colleague Labour Party MEP Proinsias de Rossa.Decision to end forum on Europe criticised
by Mary Fitzgerald, Irish Times Friday, 10 April 2009


External links


National Forum on EuropeNational Forum on Europe - Youtube Channel


References

{{Authority control Politics of the European Union Organizations established in 2001 Politics of the Republic of Ireland Foreign relations of Ireland Political organisations based in the Republic of Ireland