March 19, 2005
Zut Alors...French Populace Doesn't Embrace EU Constitution
A recent poll in France shows that 52% of those questioned wouldn't vote "yes" on a referendum to ratify the upcoming European Union Constitutional Treaty.
Jean-Pierre Raffarin, prime minister, put a brave face on the poll, published on Friday in Le Parisien newspaper, suggesting it would help to galvanise the campaign. "This uncertainty about the result is going to create a debate," he said yesterday. "If the result is known in advance, then people do not feel personally responsible. But with a 50:50 situation, the French will be personally responsible for their choice." The European Commission said on Friday it was "disturbed" by the growing No campaign in France, but denied that its controversial services directive was largely to blame.
Of course they deny it. Why would the elite French politicians admit that the EU constitution is simply unpalatable to the citizens who would be affected by it? With the way French politicians behave, one would think that King Louis XVI was back on the throne. So much for France being an "everyone is equal" republic.
Here's a sample of what French and other EU member citizens can expect if the constitution is ratified (courtesy of the BBC):
What the constitution says:The EU already has rights to legislate over external trade and customs policy, the internal market, the monetary policy of countries in the eurozone, agriculture and fisheries and many areas of domestic law including the environment and health and safety at work. The constitution will extend its rights into some new areas, perhaps most importantly into justice policy, especially asylum and immigration. It does away with the old structure of pillars under which some policies came under the EU and some under "inter-governmental" arrangements.
What it means:
It means a greater role for the EU in more aspects of life. In some areas, the EU will have exclusive competence, in others a shared competence and in yet more,only supporting role.
In other words, every time a member EU nation wants to pass policy or law, it has to play "Mother May I?" with the EU politicians. And Mother might not always say yes.
Let's hope the average French citizen continues to surprise us by showing more of such common sense, and that other European citizens will catch on.
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