Where we come from and what we do

Following consultations with the political parties, the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern T.D., announced the establishment of the National Forum on Europe in October 2001 and the appointment of the Forum's independent Chairman Senator Maurice Hayes.

Introduction by Chairman Maurice Hayes

Since 2001, the National Forum on Europe has promoted a national debate on the European Union, on its future and on Ireland's role in it.

We have brought prominent statesmen and women from around the EU to Dublin to discuss the big issues with all the Irish parties and civil society groups who make up the Forum. But we have also, crucially, brought the debate out of Dublin Castle and into cities and towns throughout the State.

The Forum offers an opportunity for all Irish people to have their say - through their elected representatives, through the organisations, associations and causes that they join and support, and very directly, through personal submissions or comments.

What happens in Brussels is directly relevant to us in Ireland. What we think and feel, the values we hold dear and the principles we espouse can and do influence the direction of European and world policy-making.

As the independent Chairman of the Forum, I am not a "salesman" for any patented nostrums, trying to get the Forum participants to buy into any particular vision of the future; I am not an advocate for any particular set of propositions or set of outcomes. This is not how I see my role. My role is to facilitate and to ensure balance and fairness in the airing of viewpoints.

You may or may not know something about my own background: I grew up and live in Co. Down, I have family roots in Kerry and Waterford, I served for many years as a public servant in Northern Ireland, and in the Seanád in the Oireachtas. This background has helped me to develop a keen sense of the importance of listening to views across all divides and from all interest groups and perspectives.

Below is some information on the role of the Forum, its membership and the work carried out to date.

I hope you will find this site a useful resource, and if you have any comments on matters arising within our terms of reference, please do contact us.

Maurice Hayes

For information on the Forum's 2008 programme click here