I KNEW IT! IT'S OUR FAULT!
Why did French voters reject the EU constitution?
Mon May 30, 2005 2:07 AM BST
Printer Friendly | Email Article | RSS
By Kerstin Gehmlich
PARIS (Reuters) - French voters rejected the European Union's constitution on Sunday for a host of reasons, not all of them to do with the contents of the charter.
Some balked at having an economic model imposed on the EU which they say puts market interests ahead of social concerns.
Others said the treaty does too little to protect workers and could encourage lower paid workers to flood France from new EU member states in eastern Europe, while some firms leave France for countries with lower taxes and labour costs.
Some simply resented being bullied into something by French or EU leaders they consider out of touch, and many wanted to show their dissatisfaction with high unemployment, government cost-cutting and other economic problems.
"It's a condemnation of the government's economic policy. It (shows) anger about unemployment and anxiety about economic precariousness and lack of jobs," said Mariette Sineau, a political scientist at Paris' Sciences Politiques university.
"It's a giant smack in the face for the president (Jacques Chirac) above all. It was he who called the referendum, and who has been campaigning with great commitment for the 'Yes'."
The snub for EU leaders widely regarded as bureaucratic was also clear to see.
Many voters resent what they see as France's declining role in the Union, especially with the expansion to 25 members last year, and regard the constitution as part of a plot to impose a British and American economic model on them.
"The bottom line is (the French) think the European Union is bureaucratic and undemocratic. And they read the text and thought it was bureaucratic and undemocratic," said Emmanuel Le Masson, a political scientist in the city of Aix-en-Provence.
He said many French people also regarded the text as impossibly complicated.
"So they said they didn't want that one, they wanted one they could use and at least understand," Le Masson said.
Other reasons cited for opposing the constitution included a perceived loss of French sovereignty and a defence policy which critics say would make the EU too dependent on NATO, and therefore the United States.
Some said the constitution would pave the way for large and mainly Muslim Turkey to enter the European Union.
Jose Manuel Durao Barroso, the head of the EU's executive Commission, said it was hard to read one defining message from the outcome of the referendum.
"We cannot draw a very simple message (from the result) except that a majority voted against. Why? The reasons presented are contradictory," he said.
"Some say it's because Europe is going too far, others say no, no we want a different Europe, others say we want more Europe but not this Europe." |
