The Hindu : Opinion / Editorials : A post-mortem on France's `Non'

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Tuesday, May 31, 2005

Opinion

Opinion - Editorials

A post-mortem on France's `Non'

France's emphatic rejection of the European Union constitution treaty in Sunday's referendum is a stunning political defeat for the 448-article treaty nine countries have already ratified, for the cause of united Europe, and for President Jacques Chirac — who has publicly admitted that the verdict "creates a difficult situation for the defence of our interests in Europe." The outcome of a bitterly divisive campaign at the end of which 70 per cent of the country's 41.8 million registered voters turned out, and 16 million of them came up with `Non', reflects the tremendous complexities of creating a transnational federation while retaining the sovereignty of nation states. Since the European Charter cannot come into force unless it is endorsed by all 25 EU member states, the objective of leveraging Europe's clout internationally in the areas of external affairs and security has received a setback. The body blow delivered to the constitution project in France, a founder member of the six-country grouping that grew into the European Union, is expected to affect Wednesday's vote in neighbouring Netherlands; opinion polls predict a setback there also, largely on account of unpopular economic reforms and a growing perception of the country's diminishing weight in an enlarged Europe. Unfortunately, the French referendum debate did not address the real issues at stake for Europe, and neither Europhiles nor Europhobes came to grips with the core issues. The commitment to peace and prosperity in post-war Europe, embodied in the Schuman Declaration, and the substantial success the region has recorded in the past five decades appeared far removed from the discourse on the proposed European Constitution.

The steady surge in support for the `Non' vote in recent weeks was framed by deep unhappiness among the mass of French voters over the troubled economic situation, and the policies of President Chirac and the Centre-Right Government. The unemployment rate is 10 per cent, the working week has been lengthened from 35 to 48 hours, and fears have been stoked over the adverse implications of the constitution treaty for France's redoubtable social security system. The `Nons' further exploited the situation by characterising as `coercion' the Europhile argument that there was no alternative to a `Yes' to the constitution. Nationalism runs strong in Europe, and, in many ways, the exercise in France has been a referendum on the performance of the Centre-Right Government. The idea of a united Europe has certainly taken root but it is not so powerful as to relegate to second place popular feelings, negative or positive, on key domestic issues. The imperatives of Europe's political integration tend to get entangled with domestic issues, especially those centring on livelihood, social security, and the future of ordinary citizens. The French `Non' demonstrates dramatically that there is no escape from such entanglement.

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