Teen Times/Declan Harmon: "Oh no, not Europe; Europe is soooooo boring" would be a typical response from one of my peers when the topic of the EU comes up. And despite my support for the idea of European integration, I have to agree with them, Europe can be very, very boring (perhaps almost as boring as a politics and news junkie like me!).
The rejection of the European constitution in France and the Netherlands has put Europe back on top of the political agenda, and back on the front pages of (certain) newspapers. However, it is clear that the issue of Europe, while an emotive one in Ireland, can still turn most people off very quickly.
Even the most ardent of Europhiles would have to admit that Euro-jargon such as "comitology" and "subsidiarity" does not do much to endear Europe to the ordinary citizen. It is widely accepted that one of the principal problems facing Europe is that it is horrendously boring to all except the most enthusiastic political observers.
So if we can see what one of the main problems is with Europe, then why aren't we, at national and European level, doing anything about addressing it? Granted, in Ireland the Government set up the National Forum on Europe to promote debate after the initial rejection of the Nice Treaty.
I have observed some plenary meetings of the forum, and although I can safely say that its work is laudable and the debate worthwhile, I also have little doubt that an extremely small percentage of the EU population is aware of its work.
Anybody under the age of 30 has grown up living with Ireland in Europe. Most of us are aware of the benefits Europe has brought us and the majority of us would be supportive of Ireland remaining in the EU.
Despite this, a lack of knowledge persists about what Europe is doing for us in our daily lives. They might be able to recognise the signs along new stretches of road boasting of support from structural funds, but most of my friends are ignorant of what Europe is about and how it affects them.
If it transpires that the European constitution is dead, then I believe we should take the opportunity in Ireland to have a complete re-evaluation of what our relationship with Europe should be. Europe is no longer merely a vehicle for getting money for farmers and building roads and railways. It is more than that. Like it or not, it affects every one of us in our daily lives.
So we have to decide if we want to be part of such a union, and if we do want to be part of it, we should decide exactly what the nature of our involvement should be.
It is about time that the people were given a chance to have their say on what exactly Ireland's involvement with Europe should be. If we give people a voice on this matter, then we have the potential, once and for all, to remove the notion that being an EU member is an unwelcome imposition.
Declan Harmon (16) is a student at St Mary's College, Rathmines
Submissions of 500-word opinion pieces are welcome from teenagers to teentimes@irish-times.ie. Please include your phone number
