Understanding the EU: start in transition year

AS a public representative the recent Lisbon Treaty debate has taught me that successive Governments (including one in which my party was involved) have failed in their task to address the fundamental lack of understanding of the workings of the EU institutions.

This contributed to the decisive no vote. Until we as a nation start to learn the language of the EU and understand terms such as “co-decision” and “enhanced co-operation”, we are never going to have a meaningful debate on the exact nature of treaties and both sides of the argument will manipulate this lack of understanding for their own ends.

The inter-relationship between the three institutions — the Council of Ministers, the European Commission and the European Parliament — is a complex one bound by arcane rules and a particular language. We need to unravel this language to see how it all works. One option would be to teach the workings of this relationship in our schools.

Given that decisions taken at EU level have such a fundamental impact on all our lives, I suggest that a one-year course could be taught to transition year students with school visits to the European Parliament in Brussels becoming part of the curriculum.

Perhaps our MEPs could devote part of the ‘visitors’ budget’ to such an undertaking.

Seán Sherlock TD

Labour Spokesperson on

Agriculture and Food

Flemings (Davis) Lane

Mallow

Co Cork