Maurice Hayes (Independent)

I also welcome the Minister of State and commend him on the energy and application he has displayed in terms of the work he is doing on the Convention on the Future of Europe. I also commend our other representatives Deputy John Bruton, Proinsias De Rossa, MEP, Deputy Gormley and the alternates, Deputy Carey and Mr. Bobby McDonagh, on the work they have done. They have been extremely willing at all times to come to the forum and share their knowledge and ideas and to ensure that its members are kept abreast with developments in Europe.

The point raised by Senator Browne is the nub of what we and the Convention should be doing. The Convention's main purpose is to reconnect the people of Europe to the governance of the Union and also to make provision for that governance in an enlarged Union. There is a real danger that there is a generation growing up that does not remember what it was like not to be in Europe and, in many ways, its members have to be convinced. The Irish people have to be reconvinced on the issue of Europe.

We are now at the happy watershed of moving from being a receiving country to being a contributor. That is something we should welcome and we should also recognise the extent to which Europe enabled us to get into that position. We must recognise the importance of Europe for us all, particularly in terms of the international situation it addressed. The fact that the EU has kept peace in its part of the continent for 50 years is an idea that has to be sold.

We need to recognise the fact that there will be another referendum on a treaty here after all the valuable work has been done. This will probably take place in about 18 months. It is difficult to engage people in abstract subjects while they remain abstract and the media and others only tend to be interested when there is blood on the floor. The question is how to maintain an intelligent interest in the subject so that on the next occasion people are not faced with a treaty that has been parachuted in on top of them without a context being provided and without them feeling part of it.