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The country of art and artists has given a thumbs-down to the ratification process of the EU Constitution. In the backdrop of a non in the recently held French referendum on 29 May 2005, the impending future of the EU Constitution has suffered a serious setback. 55 percent of French voters have voted against the ratification of the controversial EU Constitution, which would impede the ambitious plan of unification of Europe. However, the result though significant, is far from surprising. Not only did French President. Jacques Chirac face popular opinion against this issue, he also encountered opposition to ratify the document from within his own party.
According to an opinion poll held before the referendum, conducted by BVA and published in L’ Express, 58 percent of the respondents said that they would vote against the European Constitution in the May 29 referendum. Similarly, a poll by CSA—a French marketing research organisation—speculated that 55 percent of French voters would say a ‘no’ to the EU Constitution on May 29. All these speculations proved to be right pointers towards the actual result, and unlike the predictions pertaining to the Indian elections in 2004, the opinion polls were not wide off the mark.
The result of the French referendum also brought into open a clear demarcation of the political ideology in France. A majority of professionals and pensioners voted in favour of the constitution, whereas, a large chunk of blue-collared workers voted against it. Perhaps, they were apprehensive that the implementation of this constitution would be a setback towards France’s essential principles of a welfare state and do away with their cherished rights of a 35-hour week. The widespread French resentment about this enhanced role of the EU can also be attributed to the frustration of the French populace with their government for its failure to create jobs: the unemployment rate in France has reached alarming proportions.
Earlier, while in his earnest campaign for the ‘yes’ vote, the French President asserted that France’s political future would be jeopardised by a ‘no’ vote, whereas, Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, a French MP from the ruling UMP party, affirmed that the victory of the EU Constitution would spell the end of Europe. Both were extreme views, perhaps, but beyond the blatant political rhetoric, presently the French referendum result not only gives a lethal blow to the treaty but also reflects an element of nagging uncertainty in the economic and political climate for Europe as a whole. The political future of Jacques Chirac also suffered a beating through this decisive result, as he had thrown his political weight behind the ‘historic’ referendum. He becomes the second French leader, after Gen. Charles de Gaulle, to lose a referendum since the founding of the French Fifth Republic in 1958. However, Jean-Claude Juncker, the current EU President and the Prime Minister of Luxembourg, stated that the ratification process would continue in other member-states. President Chirac also endorsed the view that the process of ratification should continue in other EU countries, including Britain. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said that leaders need to do more to explain the true dimension of what is at stake, and the nature of the solutions which only Europe can bring. “There will be time for that debate, of course, but I think one thing is sure: we should, together, try to put Europe back on track again,” Barroso said.
Just three days after the French referendum that gave a resounding non to the ratification process of the EU Constitution, the Netherlands followed suit with a firm nee. After France and the Netherlands, six other member states are expected to hold plebiscites to give fruition to this ratification process. Lithuania, Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Italy, Austria, Germany, Greece, and Spain (among them only Spain opted for a referendum while the remaining opted for voting by their respective parliaments) have already ratified the constitution and the remaining other countries’ respective legislative bodies are likely to take their decision to this effect.
The ratification of the EU Constitution could have streamlined decision-making among the 25 member states. It is a blueprint for EU’s growth and unification. It now seems ironical that former French President Valery Giscard d’Estaing headed the committee that drafted the EU Constitution. The constitution, besides endeavouring to simplify overlapping treaties and protocols, entails the post of an EU President and Foreign Minister, and calls for curtailing the number of European Commissioners. This controversial constitution, if ever implemented, could increase the decision-making ambit of the EU.
The EU Constitution was approved at the European Council in Brussels on 18 June 2004. This was a culmination of a long drawn-out process, extending over two years. The convention started working on the constitution in February 2002. In December 2003, the Brussels Summit failed to come to a consensus over the final text due to differences over the size and composition of the commission and the definition and scope of qualified majority voting (QMV). The constitutional treaty, which was approved in Brussels on June 2004, was signed in Rome six months later on 29 October 2004 by heads of 25 member states of the European Union. Three candidate countries—Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania—signed the Final Act, and Croatia participated as an observer nation.
However, though the EU Constitution has been conceived it has not yet come into effect. The next step for the member states was to ratify the EU Constitution in tune with the characteristics of their national legislations. In fact, the constitution needs to get ratified by all member countries of the European Union, so as to come into effect on November 2006.
And now with the majority of both French and the Dutch voters giving their verdict against the constitution’s ratification, the future of the EU Constitution is scuttled, despite the brave face put up by current EU President Jean-Claude Juncker and British Prime Minister Tony Blair who is earnest on taking over as the next EU President. Many European leaders believe that the French referendum would not put a stop to the 50-year old integration drive of Europe. Their arguments are not only loaded with optimism. We have to note that the process of economic integration of Europe, which has already gained some maturity with the common currency and free circulation of labour force, cannot be so easily reversed. Despite the optimism, the progress has been impeded by these results and the steps towards political unification of Europe has suffered a setback as all 25 member states of EU must ratify the treaty to make it come into effect. It seems now that the EU will have to do without its constitution for the time being and will continue to function on its existing treaties only.
Here it deserves a mention that though France was one of the six founding members of the EU, it has always maintained a dissenting streak towards any developments pertaining to the European Union. The country approved the much talked about Maastricht Treaty by less than 1 percentage point, which heralded the political and monetary union of Europe. Moreover, it narrowly voted in favour of the Euro, way back in 1992.
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