EU foreign ministers rally to save French referendum

Financial Times ^ | 04/17/05 | Daniel Dombey, Peggy Hollinger

[TigerLikesRooster]

EU foreign ministers rally to save French referendum

By Daniel Dombey in Brussels and Peggy Hollinger in Paris
Published: April 17 2005 17:05 | Last updated: April 17 2005 17:05

Europe's foreign ministers have rallied round the embattled French campaign for the European constitution, arguing that a No vote on the May 29 referendum would set back the European Union's drive to play a bigger part on the world stage.

Many officials fear that a French rejection, which could prove terminal for the constitutional treaty, would also halt the EU's enlargement drive - sometimes dubbed "the most successful foreign policy in the world". It could also kill reforms intended to boost the EU's diplomatic clout, such as the creation of an EU foreign minister and a new external action service.

"If we want Europe to play a role in the world it is necessary to be in favour of the constitution," said Benita Ferrero-Waldner, EU external relations commissioner, at a weekend meeting of foreign ministers in Luxembourg.

But a series of opinion polls has put the No vote ahead and President Jacques Chirac is widely deemed to have put in a disappointing performance in a televised debate last week. Support for a No vote has risen in subsequent polls, now standing at 56 per cent.

The EU's enlargement drive could be particularly stricken because the debate in France has focused on fears about the possible effects of the EU's expansion last year to 25 member states and on the prospect of Turkish membership in about a decade's time.

Some EU officials fear that if France rejects the constitution it may not be possible to begin the entry negotiations with Turkey in October this year, as scheduled.

A longer term promise to allow the whole of the Balkans to enter the EU is at the heart of international efforts to stabilise the former Yugoslavia, the site of four wars in the 1990s.

At the foreign ministers' meeting, Dimitrij Rupel, chairman of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, said he was "very worried" about the effect on enlargement of a French No vote.

On Monday, Javier Solana, the EU's foreign policy representative, will join the fray with a Paris speech which makes a plea for a Yes vote to safeguard Europe's r ole in the world.

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/4b0d8ff0-af56-11d9-bb33-00000e2511c8.html

[CasearianDaoist]

Well their "leaders" will so have problems with this for, as I said, they have not thought it through.

As for Zapatero, I could not agree more.

Where in Europe is their true leadership? Where are those that understand reality, that understand the very real dangers? I do not see them.

When the definitive history of this period is written, the callowness and fecklessness of the "leadership" of Europe will cause readers to gasp. Let us hope that that history is not written by a Chinese.

I can scarcely think of a period in European history where the elites were so irresponsible. At least the years of WW2 had Churchill.

[Marie007]

The "no" is about 60%, but the journalists don't want to write it. I will vote "NON". It will be the best thing for Europe. We don't want a socialist Europe.