Forum on Europe wasting €2m a year, claims Fine Gael

FINE GAEL last night demanded the Forum on Europe be scrapped as it was “wasting” €2 million a year.

The party’s European affairs spokeswoman Lucinda Creighton hit out at the body after it failed to help deliver a yes vote to the Lisbon treaty.

“Since it was established in 2001 the total cost of running the Forum on Europe has amounted to €6.75m — this includes a staggering €2m in 2007.

“Spending such a massive amount on the forum must be considered a waste as not one person I met, or that I heard was surveyed, mentioned the forum as a decent information source. In fact, the vast majority of the country did not even know it existed.

“There are better ways to spend public money.

“I believe that the forum should be abolished and this money ought to be invested in well-resourced and well-targeted schools programmes aimed at educating young people about the European Union and how it functions.

“There is currently no adequate schools programme focusing on the EU.

“This is bizarre given how relevant the EU is to the lives of every single citizen of Ireland,” she said.

The forum was unavailable for comment.