German MPs' vote boosts EU yes campaign (4th Reich Marches on)

Guardian ^ | Friday May 13, 2005 | Luke Harding

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German MPs voted overwhelmingly yesterday to approve the new EU constitution in a move designed to boost the faltering yes campaign in France, which faces a knife-edge referendum at the end of the month. Germany's Bundestag, or lower house of parliament, passed the constitution with a convincing majority of 569 out of 594 votes. But some 23 rebel MPs, most of them from Germany's two conservative opposition parties, defied their own leaders and voted against. Two MPs abstained.

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The Bundesrat, or upper house, is expected to complete ratification with a vote on May 27, two days before the French go to the polls. Unlike in France and Britain, there has been a distinct lack of public debate in Germany about the merits of the new constitution. Nevertheless, Eurosceptic sentiment in Germany appears to be growing. Although the vast majority of Germans are in favour of European integration, there is anxiety about the impact on German jobs of further EU expansion.

There is also unease about the introduction of "neoliberal" reforms into the EU at the expense of Germany's more social economic model.

Opening yesterday's debate, Chancellor Gerhard Schröder admitted that the new EU constitution did not "fulfil all hopes". But he described it as a "very good and fair compromise".

A yes vote was a historic way of ensuring the future peace of Europe 60 years after the end of the second world war, he said, adding: "Whoever wants to support democracy in Europe has to support the constitution."

Germany's Green foreign minister, Joschka Fischer - in France earlier this week campaigning for a yes vote - also backed the constitution.

"I was in Lyons yesterday meeting French politicians of my generation. We are the first generation who didn't fight each other," he reminded MPs.

The result in France is too close to call, with support for the yes camp apparently retreating again after a modest surge. Mr Schröder has expressed the hope that yesterday's convincing German yes would help France's embattled president, Jacques Chirac, to win his own faltering campaign.

The rebel German MPs who voted against the constitution, meanwhile, complained that it reduced the influence of Germany's parliament.

The rebels also complained that the Germans, unlike the French, British and Dutch, had not been given a chance to hold their own referendum.

"Schröder and Fischer are afraid of the people," Gerd Müller, a leading rightwing rebel from the opposition Bavarian Christian Social Union, said before the vote.

"Otherwise they would have let people have a referendum."

Speaking afterwards, another Christian Social Union rebel, Peter Gauweiler, said he would revive a failed attempt to get Germany's highest court to amend the country's constitution.

Currently the constitution does not allow for holding referendums. Last year Mr Schröder toyed with the idea of changing it to allow one, but then abandoned the proposal.

He now argues that yesterday's parliamentary vote provides sufficient "legitimisation" for the new EU constitution in Germany.

A poll released on Sunday by ARD television showed that 59% of Germans supported the constitution and would vote yes in a referendum, with 15% against it, and 26% undecided.

On Wednesday the Austrian parliament voted overwhelmingly to ratify the treaty, as did Slovakia.

All the EU member countries must ratify the constitution for it to take effect. So far the document has been approved by Austria, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain.

· The debate on the referendum in France plumbed new depths yesterday when a man jumped from the first floor balcony of the upper house of parliament in mid-debate, and stripped off to reveal the words "Vote no" scrawled across his body.