France and European Union after the ‘no’ to the referendum on May 29th, 2005

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Abstract

2007 may well be the year when the European constitution process is re-launched, thanks to the efforts of the German presidency, and considering the new French political landscape. Since France’s ‘no’, the European Union is striving to find an outcome that would not offend the States that have ratified the Treaty: Europe favours the text’s amendment, while gambling on a more favourable context. Incidentally, this situation is not unprecedented and the Danish and Irish cases may be perceived as useful references. Yet, France stays embarrassingly silent on its intentions. It should be underlined that its vote may be explained by an unfortunate conjecture, but that it is also linked to a major contradiction in the French political system: the absence of power’s responsibility concerning Europe.

AFRI 2007 Summary