The Government is set to delay a second Nice Treaty referendum until after the next general election to allow for a campaign to build support for the European project.
The Cabinet yesterday decided to set up a National Forum on Europe at which it hopes the public fears that led to last week's defeat of the referendum will be allayed. Most Ministers are understood to believe this forum must be given as long as possible to influence public opinion before a second attempt is made to have Nice ratified.
The decision is a major reversal of the failed campaign strategy of holding as narrow a debate as possible on the treaty in the hope of having it approved by the electorate.
The Government's post-mortem since last week's defeat has concluded the treaty was lost due to broad concerns relating to sovereignty, militarisation and other issues that went well beyond the Nice Treaty.
The Government has therefore ruled out any attempt at a "quick-fix" solution to its dilemma and hopes the proposed forum will build a pro-EU consensus that will ultimately facilitate the approval of Nice in a referendum. The Labour Party, which has proposed such a forum for many months, last night welcomed the decision.
Most Ministers believe a new referendum should take place after the general election, due by June 2002 or earlier. While some Government figures do not rule out a pre-election referendum, there is unanimity that the two polls should not take place on the same day.
Mr Ahern and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, will use this week's EU summit at Gothenburg for an exploration of what clarifications might be available to assuage concerns in Ireland about Nice.
In Luxembourg yesterday Mr Cowen met representatives of many of the states seeking EU membership to assure them that Ireland still supported enlargement.
Mr Ahern said last night the forum would be modelled on the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation and the National Economic and Social Forum. It is expected to begin work in the autumn.
He said it would be representative of the political parties and the social partners. While this would give it an overwhelmingly pro-Nice composition, a Government spokesman said the anti-Nice parties would be represented, and a wide range of bodies and individuals would give evidence. Mr Ahern pledged a "genuine and comprehensive" debate with "no uniform blueprint".