Posted on 04/29/2004 3:42:40 PM PDT by Eurotwit
Britain could be forced to leave the European Union if its voters reject the proposed new constitution in a referendum, President Chirac suggested today.
The French leader, who is resisting pressure to commit himself to a referendum in France, noted that if any state failed to ratify the constitutional treaty then none of the other members would be able legally to ratify it either - scuppering the whole project.
At a press conference to convince a sceptical France of the merits of the expanded EU, M Chirac referred to proposals aired in Brussels and Berlin that would require member nations to ratify the constitution or leave the EU.
This could be a "positive solution", said M Chirac. "I am not against the idea of using methods of friendly persuasion with countries that are refusing the constitution, because that blocks all the others."
Made in answer to a question about Britain, M Chirac's remarks reflected his exasperation over Tony Blair's decision to put the constitution to a risky plebiscite.
The President said that he was confident that the constitution would be settled by leaders in June. He insisted that he would not be rushed into a French referendum, but would take a decision after the treaty was signed and then examined - probably next year - by the French constitutional authority.
M Chirac said that Britain was in a different situation from France because it did not have a written constitution. He said he had no comment on Mr Blair's "political decision", but added: "I do not imagine that England could find itself in the situation of having to leave Europe."
He also kicked into the long grass the prospect of Turkish membership of the Union. EU leaders are expected to approve entry negotiations with Turkey in December, but Ankara's membership remains highly unpopular in France, where it has been rejected outright by M Chirac's own Union for a Popular Majority (UPM) party.
"Turkey is destined to be an EU member but is not ready and will probably not enter the EU for ten to 15 years," said M Chirac.
M Chirac's Turkish chill contrasted with the glowing image that he depicted of the enlarged Union as he sought to assuage fears that France was losing influence in a Europe of 25 members.
"With its 450 million inhabitants, the Union is asserting itself as a first-class economic power, where growth and investment will create a new dynamic in the service of employment," he said. Fears that the French identity would be "diluted or abandoned" were unfounded, he said.
EU polls show France to be the most hostile of existing member states towards Saturday's "big bang" expansion, but a French national survey this week showed that 64 per cent are now in favour.
Pressure is building from across the French political spectrum for a popular vote on the Constitution rather than ratification by Parliament. According to polls, 75 per cent of the public want a popular vote. The President is reluctant to stage one because of the strong possibility of a 'no' from a public that is unhappy with his presidency.
Mr Blair's referendum has raised the stakes for M Chirac, whose personal popularity has sunk 11 points to 44 percent over the past month.
Talk of the possibility of Britain effectively voting itself out of the EU has become widespread in Europe since Mr Blair's surprise decision.
French, German and other politicians from core EU states say they would regret a British departure but a 'no' would finally end the continent's patience with Britain's semi-detachment to the EU and its historic resistance to deeper integration.
A more diplomatic version was voiced in London yesterday by Valery Giscard d'Estaing, the former French President who led drafting of the constitution treaty.
"In the case of a 'no', "Britain will not be in the core of the system, but at the margin of the system," he said.
Under a"ratify-or-leave" scheme devised by the EU Commission, the 25 member states would first approve and ratify a separate treaty which gave countries two years to endorse the Constitution or give up membership. Departing states would retain their existing EU rights on trade and movement as associate members like Norway and Switzerland.
However, this scheme is highly unlikely to come about because of the initial need for approval by all member states.
M Chirac makes regular television appearances and holds frequent media briefings, but his 90-minute session in the Elysee's gilded Salle des Fetes, was a rare exercise in the tradition of set-piece press conferences that were founded in the late 1950s by the late President de Gaulle.
He used the occasion to reassert his authority after his Government, led by Jean-Pierre Raffarin, suffered a hammering in national regional elections last month. He restated his confidence in M Raffarin and attempted to reassure the country that the Government could meet his promises to soften cuts in the welfare state, while also shrinking the budget deficit that has put France in Brussels' bad books.
This could be a "positive solution", said M Chirac. "I am not against the idea of using methods of friendly persuasion with countries that are refusing the constitution, because that blocks all the others."
How about a real federal constitution, with accountability, seperation of powers, checks and balances, and recognition of fundamental individual rights?
Whats the downside?
'Soviet Union = 'European Union'
/sarcasm
(The 'Wall' is finally,......no longer 'needed'...?)
/scarism
Then why have the vote? Just put out an edict and if they like it they can accept - if not then they can leave.
Imagine the nerve of it. Letting the people decide in a "risky" plebiscite
The President said that he was confident that the constitution would be settled by leaders in June.
That's more like it. Let the leaders decide. Can't have the great unwashed deciding their own futures. And the French think America is arrogant.
Oh, sure. We can't have the people voting on whether or not to give up the sovereignty of their coutries' to a bunch of jackals who have no accountability. The European Union is exactly what Hitler had in mind in 1938. Imagine: a whole continent of slaves.
Hey guys, we have room for ya'll. Come on over!
The French leader..
Always good for a laugh.
LVM
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