Chirac, Schroeder push for EU constitution
The leaders of France and Germany today pleaded for a “yes” vote in the closely-fought upcoming French referendum on the European Union’s constitution, with President Jacques Chirac warning a “no” would diminish French clout in the bloc it helped build.
“If we vote “no” we take the responsibility for interrupting 50 years of European construction,” said Chirac, speaking at a joint press conference with Germany’s Gerhard Schroeder.
The German chancellor said his government would do everything possible to back French ratification. He said he remained confident the “yes” camp would win through in France and Germany.
“We will reproach ourselves later if we let this historic opportunity to advance Europe slip by,” he said.
The two leaders’ joint appeal for ratification came as Chirac is struggling in the bruising referendum campaign over the European constitution.
Faced with growing opposition to the treaty in France, Chirac needs all the help he can get to push through its adoption in the May 29 vote that is being watched anxiously by governments across Europe.
Opinion polls show the French could reject the treaty. That threatens to kill the text in its current form and, Chirac said at the press conference, leave France isolated in Europe.
If the “no” wins, “France would find itself on the edge of the platform as the train went past”, he said.
Schroeder was the latest in a steady stream of European leaders and ministers to travel to France to support Chirac’s campaign for a “yes”.
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