A new guide to the main proposals contained in the draft Constitutional Treaty for the European Union was published today by the National Forum on Europe.
The 64-page booklet aims to set out, in plain language, the main proposals in the draft Treaty and to promote debate on the future of Europe.
Unveiling the publication, the chairman of the forum, Senator Maurice Hayes, described the draft Constitution as "an important reference point for every Irish man and woman".
Senator Hayes said "that, in compiling a summary of it, the forum had aimed to be strictly factual and to avoid any comment or spin".
The booklet contains a background to the proposals as well as a section on the values and aims of the Treaty. It also contains a section on how the Union will function politically under the Treaty and the various legal aspects relating to it.
The draft Treaty is the result of 16 months of deliberations in the Convention on the Future of Europe, which is chaired by former French President, Mr Valéry Giscard D'Estaing.
The draft text will form the basis of talks which start this weekend in Rome between all member states.
On the agenda will be the repeal of all the previous treaties of the EU and their consolidation into the proposed single constitutional treaty.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Brian Cowen, welcomed today's publication, saying the guide was clear and informative and "will make a valuable contribution to the public debate on the outcome of the European Convention".
