France appears determined to reject EU Constitution
Germany has become the ninth country to approve Europe Union’s new constitution, but Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder did not stick around to celebrate after the vote: He hopped on a jet to rally voters in France.
The French appear determined to rattle the continent and its leaders by saying “non” to the EU treaty in a referendum tomorrow. If polls prove right, France will be the first country to vote down the charter aimed at strengthening the union it helped found.
Down to the wire, there were mixed signals last night. One survey showed treaty supporters narrowing the lead held by “no” campaigners while another showed the ”no” camp’s lead growing to 12 points.
French rejection of the constitution would throw Europe’s forward momentum into disarray, especially if the Dutch follow France’s lead in their referendum on Wednesday.
All 25 EU countries must approve the charter, either in parliament or by referendums, for it to take effect as planned on Nov. 1, 2006.
Schroeder was making his third trip to France to stump for the constitution at a symbolic location, Toulouse, in south-west France – the headquarters of Europe’s Airbus.
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero campaigned for a “oui” in northern France.
French opponents of the treaty have complained that campaigning by European leaders amounts to meddling.
Despite that, a bevy of European politicians – from Britain, Italy, Germany - were the stars of a final rally for the “no” campaign, held at a judo hall in Paris.
The crowd of some 1,500 gave standing ovations to speaker after speaker, each appealing for a defiant rejection of the text. The EU anthem blared over loudspeakers. Flags of all 25 EU nations hung on the walls.
“The debate in our country is going to spread,” said Henri Emmanuelli, a Socialist bucking his party’s push for a “yes.”
The “no” camp polled 56% compared to 44% for the “yes” camp in a late poll by the Ifop firm. But the CSA aency offered a glimmer of hope for treaty supporters, putting them only 4 points behind.
Some respondents for the new polls were questioned yesterday after President Jacques Chirac made a last-ditch televised appeal for the treaty on Thursday, telling voters they hold “France’s destiny in their hands”.
He warned against making the referendum a protest vote – a temptation for those angered by persistent high unemployment, sluggish economic growth and reforms to France’s cherished social protections.
