France and Europe: an ambivalent relationship MaximeLefebvre European Affairs Fellow, Institut Franais des Relations Internationales IFRI!

, "aris France#s relationship with Europe is paradoxical$ %n one hand, France has lon& been a stron& supporter of the idea of a united Europe$ Aristide 'riand, (ean Monnet and Robert )chuman were the foundin& fathers of European inte&ration$ *his enthusiasm also stems from the intellectual, idealistic and universal dimensions of French philosoph+$ 'ut France is also a countr+ with a lon& histor+ as a nation,state and an earl+ experience with &lobal power$ Even when France#s position within Europe was wea-ened durin& the ./th centur+ as a result of the risin& power of 0erman+, France was able to maintain its importance in the &lobal arena$ It found solace in its colonial adventures and b+ ./.1 was the second lar&est colonial empire in the world$ And even when the 2old 3ar forced Europe to rel+ on the 4nited )tates, France was 5uic- to demonstrate its independence and wei&ht durin& the presidenc+ of 2harles de 0aulle$ )ince the brea-,up of the )oviet bloc and the reunification of 0erman+, France#s place at the center of Europe has become threatened$ France#s reaction was to step up its attempts to brin& about European inte&ration, especiall+ throu&h promotion of the sin&le currenc+$ France decided also to help to create a political Europe 6Europe puissance7! b+ promotin& the 2ommon Forei&n and )ecurit+ "olic+ 2F)"! and b+ re,launchin& a common European securit+ and defense polic+ E)8"!, to&ether with the 49, at the .//: )t$ Malo )ummit$ *hree lessons about France#s approach to Europe derive from the past and appl+ to the present$ First, the concept of Europe is popular in France and is perceived b+ man+ as a wa+ of avoidin& both the conflicts of European histor+ and the problems of a balance of power in Europe$ )econd, the French obsession with 0erman+ has never waned$ France partl+ wants Europe in order to loc- in 0erman+, out of fear of 0erman power$ *his was evident at the ;<<< =ice )ummit when France insisted on an e5ual votin& wei&ht with 0erman+ in the 2ouncil of Ministers$ *he Franco,0erman dimension is central to the European pro>ect$ ?bi&niew 'r@e@ins-i put it well: 6France see-s reincarnation as Europe: 0erman+ hopes for redemption throu&h Europe$7. *he European 4nion is the product of this Franco,0erman interaction$ *hird, France is tr+in& to create a Europe that helps promote French interests in, for example, the 2ommon A&ricultural "olic+ A2A"B! and that helps to preserve France#s uni5ue identit+, while at the same time leavin& ample room for maneuver$ Franois Mitterrand said it expressivel+ in ./:C: 6France#s independence and European inte&ration are complementar+$7 In this sense, the promotion of European defense polic+ reflects a chan&e in context$ *he transatlantic relationship is wea-enin& as a result of the disappearance of the )oviet threatD the challen&e is now to define a European capacit+ to act$ France and the European 2onstitution: 6ma-in& Europe without unma-in& France7 0iven this ambivalence toward Europe, France reacted with some hesitation to the European 2onstitutional process that was be&un b+ 0erman Forei&n Minister (osch-a Fischer#s speech at Eumboldt 4niversit+ in Ma+ ;<<<$ "resident (ac5ues 2hirac accepted the idea of a 2onstitution, but not of a European federation in his speech at the 0erman

'undesta& in (une$ "rime Minister Lionel (ospin waited a +ear to &ive his own vision of Europe and proposed to 6ma-e Europe without unma-in& France$7 'oth of them advocated creatin& a 6federation of nation states,7 a concept invented b+ former European 2ommission "resident (ac5ues 8elors$ *he European 2onvention, made up of representatives from European &overnments and "arliaments and from the European institutions, was chaired b+ former French "resident FalGr+ 0iscard d#Estain& and met from the be&innin& of ;<<; to the middle of ;<<H$ 8urin& the 2onvention, France had three ma>or &oals: it wanted to avoid a federalist Europe or parliamentar+ supremac+ in the European 4nionD it re>ected the separation of competencies between Europe and member states as an excuse for the re,nationali@ation of common policies such as the 2A"D and it supported &reater efficienc+ in decision ma-in&$ *he end of the French left,ri&ht political cohabitation in ;<<; &ave the French authorities the abilit+ to act more proactivel+ and led to numerous Franco,0erman initiatives durin& the 2onvention$ In the end, Franco,0erman compromises formed the main basis for the final deal on the draft European 2onstitution that was adopted b+ the European 2ouncil in (une ;<<1$ I France supported, with )pain and the 4nited 9in&dom, the appointment of an individual as permanent "resident of the European 2ouncil$ France convinced 0erman+ to accept this reform, while France a&reed to the 0erman idea to let the European "arliament elect the "resident of the European 2ommission$ After ne&otiations with the other member states, however, the method for selectin& the 2ommission "resident was not substantiall+ altered in the final version of the 2onstitution nomination b+ the European 2ouncil b+ 5ualified ma>orit+ and subse5uent approval b+ the European "arliament!D I For reasons of efficienc+, France accepted the shift from the complicated =ice ma>orit+ votin& s+stem to a double ma>orit+ votin& s+stem thus France accepted that it would no lon&er have the same votin& wei&ht as the more populous 0erman+! in the 2ouncil of MinistersD I In forei&n polic+, France supported, with 0erman+, a European Minister of Forei&n Affairs and accepted 5ualified ma>orit+ votin& for forei&n polic+ issues, but with important exceptions all 5uestions havin& securit+ and defense implications, which are in fact the core of forei&n polic+!D I In defense polic+, France and 0erman+ supported a variet+ of measures to stren&then the 4nion#s capacit+: a mutual defense clause, a solidarit+ clause in case of terrorist attac-s and natural catastrophes, the concept of structured cooperation between more willin& and more capable member )tates, and an autonomous European militar+ plannin& capacit+D I French ideas for increased economic &overnance in the Euro@one and for a stron&er E4 social polic+ did not ma-e much headwa+, partl+ because of 0erman oppositionD I France &enerall+ accepted the extension of 5ualified ma>orit+ votin& and an increase in the European "arliament#s powers over man+ issues of E4 competence in particular, >udicial and police cooperation!D I 'ecause of its secularist tradition, France firml+ and successfull+! opposed an+ reference to 2hristianit+ or 0od in the text of the 2onstitution$ In sum, France has not become federalist$ %n the contrar+, it has sou&ht balanced compromises between the inter&overnmental and the federal approachesJand has been

able to find them with 0erman+$ )till, the 4nited 9in&dom has bloc-ed an+ pro&ress in the areas of taxation, social and forei&n polic+$ *he re,i&nition of the Franco,0erman en&ine with a possible 6Franco,0erman union7 pro>ect mentioned b+ some French politicians includin& then Forei&n Minister 8omini5ue de Fillepin at the end of ;<<H! was also a reaction to the fears of a dilution of Europe and of American he&emon+ in the context of E4 enlar&ement and the Ira5i crisis$ French "ublic %pinion and the Future of 0reater Europe *he referendum held in France on the ratification of the Maastricht *reat+, in .//;, onl+ barel+ passed K.$<KL voted +es, 1:$/KL voted no!$ )ince that time, French public opinion seems to have become more Euro,s-eptical or at the ver+ least more unsure about Europe$ A surve+ carried about b+ 'FA, a French pollin& firm, in earl+ %ctober ;<<H revealed these uncertainties$ )event+,two percent of the French were in favor of a European 2onstitution and M.L in favor of a European arm+$ 'ut K/L preferred a Europe of )tates, with priorit+ &iven to national institutions while onl+ H;L preferred the idea of a federal Europe with priorit+ &iven to European institutions$ *he latest Eurobarometer fi&ures )prin& ;<<1! paint a similar picture: 1HL thin- France#s membership of the European 4nion is a &ood thin& with .:L thin-in& the contrar+!, a sli&htl+ lower level of support than the E4,.K avera&e where 1:L thin- E4 membership is a &ood thin& and .M L do not!$ French public opinion is also s-eptical about enlar&ement HML for, 1ML a&ainst!, but curiousl+ support has increased since the end of ;<<H when H1L were for, KKL were a&ainst!$ 0erman+ has now replaced France as the countr+ most hostile to E4 enlar&ement$ *he public#s reservations about Europe have man+ sources$ )ome sections of the French public have alwa+s been unhapp+ about the idea of relin5uishin& power to Europe$ *hus, an odd coalition of 0aullists and 2ommunists in the French "arliament re>ected the first effort at a European )ecurit+ and 8efense "olic+ E)8"!, the European 8efense 2ommunit+ E82! in ./K1$ *oda+, enlar&ement &enerates fears of dilution of the 6European pro>ect7 and challen&es the future financin& of common policies such as the 2A"!$ *here is also concern about a reduction of France#s influence in a ;K,countr+ European 4nion that will be +et more difficult to control$ *he belief that a wider Europe has become a vehicle for free,mar-et &lobali@ation and American he&emon+ is spreadin& in France$ *he support of the new member states of 2entral and Eastern Europe for the war in Ira5 has stren&thened these feelin&s and led to "resident 2hirac#s controversial comments about these countries 6havin& lost an opportunit+ to -eep 5uiet$7 In addition, resentment of the E4 bureaucrac+ in 'russels, while not new, increased recentl+ when the European 2ommission demanded that France and 0erman+ ma-e painful efforts to reduce their bud&et deficits and initiall+ opposed the French &overnment#s efforts to rescue the French en&ineerin& &iant Alstom$ *he fact that in the new European 2ommission there will be onl+ one French 2ommissioner (ac5ues 'arrot! who will deal with a minor portfolio transport!, while in the previous 2ommission two ma>or 2ommissioners were French Michel 'arnier for re&ional polic+, "ascal Lam+ for trade polic+!, has created a bi& debate on the declinin& influence of France in Europe$ *he political parties are conse5uentl+ divided on the 5uestion of European inte&ration$ *he extreme ri&ht,win& has traditionall+ been anti,European and remains powerful

althou&h its leader, (ean,Marie Le "en, is &rowin& old$ *he center,ri&ht, under the leadership of 2hirac, is broadl+ pro,European and sees Europe as an opportunit+ for promotin& structural economic reforms in France$ 'ut there are still some within the center,ri&ht who are either hostile to Europe or reluctant to further inte&ration$ *he center left is mostl+ pro,European, but the )ocialist "art+ is under pressure from the parties of the extreme left the French 2ommunist "art+ and various *rots-+ite parties! that are anti,Europe because of its free,mar-et 6liberal7 connotations$ Man+ socialists are themselves worried about the difficult+ of promotin& a 6social Europe7 and see a contradiction between their European and their social convictions *his ambivalence is particularl+ obvious on the issue of *ur-e+$ "resident 2hirac is committed, li-e all &overnments in Europe, to the *ur-ish candidac+ to the E4$ French public opinion, however, is most opposed to *ur-ish entr+ into the E4$ 2hirac#s own political part+ officiall+ expressed its hostilit+ to *ur-ish membership durin& the European parliamentar+ elections$ 3ith a similar ambivalence, the )ocialists are, in principle, in favor of *ur-ish membership because the+ do not accept the notion of a 62hristian Europe7D however the+ would prefer to postpone the decision to open accession ne&otiations with *ur-e+$ 2omplicatin& this alread+ confusin& picture is the &rowin& and widespread indifference of the French population toward European inte&ration$ Indeed, while the parties hostile to Europe Le "en#s extreme ri&ht and 2harles "as5ua#s and "hilippe de Filliers# anti, European movements! all saw a decline in their share of the vote in the (une ;<<1 European "arliamentar+ elections, the more stri-in& fact was the KML abstention rate, a M point increase over the previous election in .///$ *his represents the continuation of a trend toward lac- of interest in European elections$ 3ill France remain "ro,EuropeanN France is experiencin& a decline in its commitment to Europe and a drop in public identification with the European pro>ect$ *here is a real ris- that a risin& tide of discontent will carr+ the da+ in a referendum on the European 2onstitutional *reat+$ "resident 2hirac has ta-en a real ris- in puttin& the issue before the French public, but if he had not, he would have lent credence to the notion that Europe is a technocratic construction made b+ and for the elite$ *he )ocialists are in an even more uncomfortable situation: the+ supported the idea of a referendum on the 2onstitution, but are divided on the appropriate answer$ 'efore the national referendum ta-es place, the )ocialist "art+ has to or&ani@e its own internal referendum probabl+ b+ the end of the +ear!$ Althou&h man+ of the part+#s leadin& li&hts, such as 8omini5ue )trauss,9ahn, "ierre Moscovici, 'ertrand 8elanoO, Martine Aubr+ and the secretar+ &eneral Franois Eollande, are in favor of ratification, there is a stron& tendenc+ a&ainst it$ Laurent Fabius, who ma+ be the socialist candidate in the next presidential election in ;<<M, has alread+ expressed his opposition$; If the referendum happened to be ne&ative amon& the socialists, the chance that the European 2onstitution be ratified in France would be ver+ low$ In an+ case, France is not the onl+ countr+ that has reservations and doubts about European inte&ration$ *he 4nited 9in&dom is suspicious of Europe, but has reali@ed it has no other choice but to pursue its place in Europe$ 0erman+ is increasin&l+ dissatisfied with the bureaucrac+ at the European 2ommission and reluctant to continue &ivin& so much mone+ to 'russels$ )mall countries li-e 8enmar-, Ireland, and )weden are reticent about inte&ration and fear becomin& dominated b+ the lar&er countries$ *he new member states of 2entral and Eastern Europe do not

want excessive constraints imposed on their new,found soverei&nt+, but the+ need financial help from the 3estern countries to catch up economicall+$ *o overcome this &eneral crisis a two,pron&ed approach would be necessar+$ First, the democratic le&itimac+ of the European institutional framewor- should be stren&thened, but that will prove difficult because of the absence of a European public sphere the so, called 6democratic deficit7 in the European inte&ration process!$ )econd, 6leadership7 must be stren&thened which firstl+ re5uires action b+ the Franco,0erman en&ine in the areas of economic polic+ and forei&n polic+$ *his leadership is in the interest of all, but other states tend to re>ect it when the+ perceive it as a 6director+$7 For the future of European inte&ration France has to accept two chan&es which are not eas+ &iven the countr+#s national identit+: the acceptance of supranational rules and the replacement of an assertive approach b+ a persuasive approach$ 3hat is at sta-e in the next referendum on the European 2onstitution is the abilit+ of France to accept a Europe that will not necessaril+ loo- li-e France$ Francus-a i Europa :ambivalentan odnos MaximeLefebvre Europs-i poslovi suradni- , Institut Franais des Relations Internationales IFRI ! , "aris Francu@ odnos sa Europi >e parado-salno $ ) >edne strane, Francus-a >e odavnosnaPno podupirao ide>u u>edin>ene Europe $ Aristide 'riand , (ean Monnet i Robert )chuman su utemel>itel>i europs-e inte&raci>e $ %va> entu@i>a@am >e ta-oQer proi@la@i i@ intele-tualno& , idealistiR-i i univer@alna dimen@i>a francus-e filo@ofi>e $ =o, Francus-a >e@eml>a s du&om povi>eSTu -ao naci>e,drPave i rano> is-ustva s &lobalne moTi $ Ua- i -ada >e Francu@ poloPa> u Europi >e oslabila ti>e-om ./$ stol>eTa -ao posl>edica rastuTe moTi =>emaR-e , Francus-a >e bila u stan>u odrPati svo> @naRa> u &lobalno> areni $ *o pronaSao ut>ehu u svo>im -oloni>alne avanture , a do ./.1 bio >edru&i po veliRini -oloni>alno carstvo u svi>etu $ A Ra- i -ada >eEladni rat prisilio Europu osloniti na )>edin>ene 8rPave , Francus-a >e bila br@a da po-aPu svo>u neovisnost i tePinu ti>e-om preds>edan>a 2harles de 0aulle $ %d raspada )ov>ets-o& blo-a i ponovno& u>edin>en>a =>emaR-e , Francus-e m>esto u srediStu Europe postala u&roPena $ Francu@ rea-ci>a bila na -ora- do svo>e po-uSa>e da bi o europs-im inte&raci>ama , osobito -ro@ promican>e @a>edniR-e valute $ Francus-a >e ta-oQer odluRio pomoTi stvoriti politiR-u Europu V Europa >a-ost V ! promican>em ?a>edniR-u van>s-u i si&urnosnu politi-u ?F)" ! i ponovno po-retan>e @a>edniR-e europs-e si&urnosne i obrambene politi-e E)%" ! , @a>edno s Feli-o> 'ritani>i , na .//: )t$ Malo )ummit $ *ri predavan>a o francus-o> pristupu Europi pot>eRu i@ proSlosti , a odnose se na sadaSn>ost $ "rvo ,-oncept Europi >e popularan u Francus-o> , a mno&i percipira>u -ao naRin i@b>e&avan>a oba su-oba u europs-o> povi>esti i problemima ravnotePi moTi u Europi $ 8ru&o ,francus-i ops>ednutost =>emaR-o> ni-ada ni>e oslabila $ Francus-a Peli d>elomiRno Europu -a-o bi se @a-l>uRali u =>emaR-o> , i@ straha od n>emaR-e sna&e $ *o >e vidl>ivo na summitu u =ici ;<<< -ada >e Francus-a >e in@istirao na >edna-o> tePini &lasa u =>emaR-o> u Fi>eTu ministara $ Francus-o, n>emaR-i dimen@i>a >e srediSn>e m>esto u europs-om pro>e-tu $ ?bi&niew

'r@e@ins-i &a dobro : V Francus-a traPi rein-arnaci>u -ao Europu : =>emaR-a se nada @a is-upl>en>e -ro@ Europu $ V .Europs-a uni>a >eproi@vod to& francus-o , n>emaR-e intera-ci>e $ *reTe , Francus-a po-uSava stvoriti Europu -o>a pomaPe u promican>u francus-e interese u , prim>erice ,?a>edniR-a pol>oprivredna politi-a A 2A" B ! i da pomaPe u oRuvan>u Francus-e >edinstveni identitet , do- >e u isto vri>eme ostavl>a dovol>no prostora @a manevar $ Franois Mitterrand >e re-ao i@raPa>no ./:C : V Francu@ neovisnost i europs-ih inte&raci>a su -omplementarni $ V 4 tom smislu ,promican>e europs-e obrambene politi-e odraPava prom>enu u -onte-stu $ *ransatlants-i odnos >e slabl>en>e usli>ed nestan-a sov>ets-e pri>etn>e ,i@a@ov >e sada definirati europs-i -apacitet @a d>elovan>e $ Francus-a iEurops-a 4stav : V4Riniti Europu be@ unma-in& Francus-u V ) ob@irom na ovu ambivalentnost prema Europi , Francus-a >e rea&irao s ne-im o-li>evan>a u Europs-u 4stavno& procesu -o>i >e @apoReo n>emaR-i ministar van>s-ih poslova (osch-a Fischer &ovoru na )veuRiliStu Eumboldt svibn>a ;<<< $ "reds>edni(ac5ues 2hirac prihvatio ide>u o 4stavu , ali ne i od Europs-e federaci>e u svom &ovoru u n>emaR-om 'undesta&u u lipn>u $ "remi>er Lionel (ospin Re-ao&odine dati svo>u vi@i>u Europe i predloPio da V Europa be@ unma-in& Francus-u $ V %bo>ica @a&ovarao stvaran>e V federaci>u nacionalnih drPava V,po>am >e i@mislio bivSi preds>edni- Europs-e -omisi>e (ac5ues 8elors $ Europs-a -onvenci>a , sastavl>ena od predstavni-a europs-e vlade i parlamente i i@ europs-ih instituci>a , bio >e preds>edao bivSi francus-i preds>edni- Faler+ 0iscard dW Estain& , a sastali su se od poRet-a ;<<; do sredine ;<<H $ *i>e-om -onvenci>e , Francus-a imala tri &lavna cil>a : da su ht>eli i@b>eTi federalistiR-i Europu ili parlamentarni prevlast u Europs-u uni>u , to odbacio odva>an>e nadlePnosti i@meQu Europe i @emal>a Rlanica -ao i@&ovor @a ponovnu nacionali@aci>u @a>edniR-ih politi-a -ao Sto su 2A" , a to podrPava veTu uRin-ovitost u odluRivan>u $ 9ra> francus-o& li>evo, desno politiR-e -ohabitaci>e u ;<<; >e dao francus-ih vlasti sposobnost da d>elu>e proa-tivno viSe i dovelo do bro>nih francus-o, n>emaR-e inici>ative ti>e-om -onvenci>e $ =a -ra>u , francus-o , n>emaR-i -ompromisi formirana &lavni temel> @a -onaRni do&ovor o nacrtu europs-o& 4stava -o>i >e usvo>en od strane Europs-o& vi>eTa u lipn>u ;<<1 $ I Francus-a podrPana , s Xpan>ols-o> i Feli-o> 'ritani>i ,imenovan>e po>edinca -ao stalno& preds>edni-a Europs-o& vi>eTa $ Francus-a uv>eren =>emaR-u prihvatiti ovu reformu , do- >e Francus-a pristala na n>emaR-om ide>a daEurops-i parlament bira preds>edni-a Europs-e -omisi>e $ =a-on pre&ovora s ostalim drPavama Rlanicama , meQutim, metodom i@bora "reds>edni- 9omisi>e ni>e @naRa>no promi>en>ena u -onaRno> ver@i>i 4stava nominaci>u od strane Europs-o& vi>eTa -valificiranom veTinom i na-nadno odobren>e od strane Europs-o& parlamenta ! D I I@ ra@lo&a uRin-ovitosti , Francus-a prihvatila poma- od -omplicirane =ice veTins-om i@bornom sustavu na dvostru-i veTins-om i@bornom sustavu da-le Francus-a prihvatila da ne bi imao istu &lasaR-u tePinu -ao i nasel>eni>o> =>emaR-o> ! u Fi>eTu ministara 'iE D I 4 van>s-o> politici , Francus-a podrPava , s =>emaR-om , europs-i ministar van>s-ih poslova i prihvaTen -valificirana veTina @a van>s-opolitiR-a pitan>a , ali u@ vaPne i@nim-e sva pitan>a ima>u si&urnosne i obrambene prirode , -o>i su u stvarisrP van>s-e politi-e ! D I 4 obrambeno> politici , Francus-a i =>emaR-a podrPava ra@ne m>ere @a >aRan>e 4ni>e 9apacitet:@a>edniR-o> obrani -lau@ula ,solidarnost -lau@ula u sluRa>u teroristiR-ih napada

i prirodnih -atastrofa , -oncept stru-turirane suradn>e i@meQu spremni>i i sposobni>i drPavama Rlanicama , iautonomni europs-i vo>no& planiran>a sposobnost D I Francus-i ide>e @a poveTan>e e-onoms-o& upravl>an>a u euro@oni , a @a >aRi E4 soci>alne politi-e ne Rine veli- poma- , di>elom @bo& protivl>en>a =>emaR-e D I Francus-a opTeprihvaTena proSiren>e -valificiranom veTinom i poveTan>e Europs-o& parlamenta ovlasti nad mno&im pitan>ima nadlePnosti E4 posebno , pravosudne i polici>s-e suradn>e ! D I ?bo& svo>e se-ularne tradici>e , Francus-a Rvrsto i usp>eSno ! protivi bilo -a-vu pove@anost s -rSTanstvom i 'o&om u te-stu 4stava $ )ve u svemu , Francus-a ni>e postao federalistiR-i $ =aprotiv , on >e traPio -ompromis i@meQu uravnotePene MeQuvladino& i save@nim pristupa , a ni>e bio u mo&uTnosti pronaTi ih s =>emaR-om $ Ipa- ,Feli-a 'ritani>a >e blo-irala bilo -a-av napreda- u podruR>u opore@ivan>a , soci>alne i van>s-e politi-e $ "onovno pal>en>e na francus-o, n>emaR-o> motora s mo&uTim V Francus-o, n>emaR-i pro>e-t V sindi-ata spomin>e ne-ih francus-ih politiRara , u-l>uRu>uTi tadaSn>e& ministra van>s-ih poslova 8omini5uea de Fillepina na -ra>u ;<<H ! bio >erea-ci>a na strah od ra@r>eQen>u Europa i ameriR-e he&emoni>e u -onte-stu proSiren>a E4 i iraR-e -ri@e $ Francus-i >avno& mni>en>a ibuduTnost ci>ele Europe Referendum >e odrPan u Francus-o> o ratifi-aci>i 4&ovora i@ Maastrichta , .//; , >edva proSao K.,<K L &lasovalo da, 1:,/K L &lasovalo nema ! $ %d to& vremena , na francus-o >avno mni>en>e Rini se da su postali euro, s-eptiRno ili barem viSe si&urni o Europi $ IstraPivan>e provedeno o po 'FA ,francus-i biraR-o tvrt-e , poRet-om listopada ;<<H ot-rila ove nesi&urnosti $ )edamdeset , dva posto Francu@a bili u -orist europs-o& 4stava i M.L u -orist europs-e vo>s-e $ =o, K/ L preferira Europu 8rPavama , s prioritetom @a nacionalne instituci>e , do- samo H; L preferira ide>u o federalno> Europi s prioritetom @a europs-e instituci>e $ =a>novi>i Eurobarometar fi&ure prol>eTe ;<<1 ! bo>e sliRnu sli-u : 1H L smatra Francu@ Rlanstvo Europs-e uni>e >edobra stvar sa .: L mislisuprotno ! ,neSto niPa ra@ina potpore od pros>e-a E4,.K &d>e >e 1: L da >e Rlanstvo u E4dobra stvar , a .M L ne ! $ Francus-i >avno miSl>en>e >e ta-oQer s-eptiRan o-o proSiren>a HM L @a , 1M L protiv! , ali @aRudo podrS-a >e poveTan od -ra>a ;<<H -ada >e H1 L bilo @a , KK L su bili protiv ! $ =>emaR-a >e @ami>enila Francus-u -ao @eml>u na>viSe nepri>atel>s-i politici proSiren>a E4 $ (avnost >e re@erve Europi ima mno&o i@vora $ =e-i di>elovi francus-e >avnosti su uvi>ebili ne@adovol>ni ide>om odriRu moT u Europi $ 8a-le ,a- -oalici>a de&olistima i -omunista u francus-om parlamentu odbio >e prvi napor na europs-om si&urnosne i obrambene politi-e E)%" ! ,Europs-a obrane @a>ednice E82 ! u ./K1 $ 8anas , proSiren>e stvara bo>a@an od ra@ri>eQivan>e V europs-o& pro>e-ta V i i@a@ove buduTe& financiran>a @a>edniR-ih politi-a -ao Sto ?"" ! $ *u >e i @abrinutost @bo& mo&uTe& sman>en>a ut>eca> Francus-e u ;K , countr+ Europs-e uni>e -o>a Te biti >oS tePe -ontrolirati $ 4v>eren>e daSira Europa >e postalasredstvo @a slobodno& trPiSta &lobali@aci>e i ameriR-e he&emoni>e se Siri u Francus-o> $ "odrS-a od novih Rlanica sredn>e i istoRne Europe @a rat u Ira-u >e o>aRao te os>eTa>e i dovelo do preds>edni-a 2hiraca >e -ontrover@nim -omentarima o ovim @eml>ama V, na-on Sto >e i@&ubio prili-u da Sutim $ V %sim to&a , l>utn>a E4 biro-raci>e u 'ruxellesu , a ni>e nova , poveTana >e nedavno -ada >eEurops-a -omisi>a traPi da Francus-a i =>emaR-a bi bolne napore -a-o bi sman>iti

proraRuns-e deficite i poRet-u protivila francus-e vladine napore @a spaSavan>e francus-i Alstom inPen>ers-i div $ Uin>enica da u novo> Europs-o> -omisi>i bit Te samo >edan francus-i pov>ereni- (ac5ues 'arrot ! -o>i Te se baviti man>e portfel>a @a promet ! , do>e u prethodno> 9omisi>i dvi>e &lavne pov>erenici bili francus-i Michel 'arnier @a re&ionalnu politi-u , "ascal Lam+ @a tr&ovins-e politi-e ! , >e stvorio veli-u raspravu o padu ut>eca>em Francus-e u Europi $ "olitiR-e stran-e time su podi>el>eni po pitan>u europs-ih inte&raci>a $ E-stremne desnice tradicionalno bila antieurops-a i dal>e snaPna , ia-o >e n>e&ov Relni- (ean , Marie Le "en , raste stara $ 8esno& centra , pod vodstvom 2hiraca , naRelno proeurops-i i vidi Europu -ao prili-u @a promican>e stru-turne e-onoms-e reforme u Francus-o> $ =o, >oS uvi>eposto>e ne-e unutar desno& centra -o>i su ili nepri>atel>s-i raspoloPeni prema Europi ili nerado dal>n>u inte&raci>u $ )rediSn>i li>evi >e u&lavnom proeurops-a , ali)oci>alistiR-a stran-a >e pod pritis-om od strana-a -ra>n>e l>evice 9omunistiR-e parti>e Francus-e i ra@ne *rots-+ite stran-e ! -o>i su anti ,Europa @bo& svo>ih slobodno& trPiSta VliberalnomV -onotaci>e $ Mno&i soci>alisti su i sami @abrinuti teS-oTa u promican>u V soci>alne EuropeV i vid>eti -ontradi-ci>u i@meQu n>ihova europs-a i n>ihovim druStvenim uv>eren>ima *a ambivalentnost >e osobito vidl>ivo na pitan>e *urs-o> $ "reds>edni- 2hirac >e poRinio , -ao i sve vlade u Europi , na turs-om -andidaturu u E4 $ Francus-i >avno miSl>en>e , meQutim, veTina ra@li-u od ulas-a *urs-e u E4 $ ?avodni-a 2hiraca vlastita politiR-a stran-a sluPbeno i@ra@io svo>u odbo>nost prema turs-om Rlanstvu u europs-im parlamentarnim i@borima $ )a sliRnom ambivalenci>e ,soci>alisti su , u principu , u -orist turs-o& Rlanstva , >er ne prihvaTa ide>u o V -rSTans-o> Europi V , no oni bi radi>e od&oditi odlu-u o otvaran>u pristupnih pre&ovora s *urs-om $ 9omplicira ovo >e veT @bun>u>uTu sli-u >erastuTa i raSirena indiferentnost francus-o& stanovniStva prema europs-o> inte&raci>i $ 8oista , do- stran-e nepri>atel>s-i prema Europi Le "en >e e-stremna desnica i 2harles "as5ua >e i "hilippe de Filliers W antieurops-i po-reti ! sve bil>ePi pad n>ihova ud>ela &lasova na lipan> ;<<1 europs-ih parlamentarnih i@bora ,>oS viSe @apan>u>e Rin>enica >e KM L stopa apstinenci>a ,M bodova viSe u odnosu na prethodnu i@borima ./// $ %vo >e nastava- trenda prema nedostat-a interesa u europs-im i@borima $ EoTe li Francus-a ostati "ro , europs-iN Francus-a doPivl>ava pad u svo>o> predanosti Europi i pad >avne identifi-aci>e s europs-o& pro>e-ta $ "osto>irealna opasnost da sediPe plima ne@adovol>stva Te odni>eti pob>edu na referendumu o 4stavu @a Europu $ "reds>edni- 2hirac >e u@eti pravi ri@i- u postavl>an>u pitan>a pred francus-e >avnosti , ali a-o on ni>e, on bi posudio pov>erovati ide>i da >e Europatehno-rats-i -onstru-ci>a od strane i @a elitu $ )oci>alisti su u >oS nela&odno stan>e : oni podrPava>u ide>u o referendumu o 4stavu , ali su podi>el>eni na od&ovara>uTi od&ovor $ "ri>enacionalni referendum odvi>a ,)oci>alistiR-a stran-a mora or&ani@irati svo>e unutarn>e referenduma v>ero>atno do -ra>a &odine ! $ Ia-o mno&i od stran-e vodeTih autora, -ao Sto su 8omini5ue )trauss , 9ahn , "ierre Moscovici , 'ertrand 8elanoe , Martine Aubr+ i &eneralni se-retar Franois Eollande , u -orist ratifi-aci>e , posto>isnaPna tendenci>a protiv n>e&a $ Laurent Fabius , -o>i moPe bitisoci>alistiR-a -andidat na sl>edeTim preds>edniR-im i@borima u ;<<M , veT >e i@ra@io opposition$; A-oreferendum do&odilo da se ne&ativna meQu soci>alistima ,Sanse daEurops-i ustav biti ratificiran u Francus-o> Te biti vrlo nis-a $

4 sva-om sluRa>u , Francus-a ni>e >edina @eml>a -o>a ima re@erve i sumn>e o europs-im inte&raci>ama $ Feli-a 'ritani>a >e sumn>iRav prema Europi , ali >e shvatio da nema dru&o& i@bora ne&o da nastavi svo>e m>esto u Europi $ =>emaR-a sve viSe ne@adovol>ni biro-raci>e u Europs-o> -omisi>i , a nerado i dal>e da>e toli-o novca u 'ruxelles $ Male @eml>e poput 8ans-e , Irs-e i Xveds-e su Sutl>ivi o inte&raci>i i strah postane dominira veTim @eml>ama $ =ove drPave Rlanice sredn>e i istoRne Europe ne Yelite pre-om>erna o&raniRen>a nametnuta n>ihovo> novosteRenim suvereniteta , ali oni treba>u financi>s-u pomoT od @apadnih @emal>a dostiTi e-onoms-i$ 8a bi prevladali ovu opTu -ri@udvosm>erni pristup Te biti potrebno $ "rvo ,demo-rats-i le&itimitet Europs-e institucionalni o-vir treba biti o>aRan , ali to Te biti teS-o @bo& neposto>an>a europs-e >avne sfere t@v$ V demo-rats-i deficit V u procesu europs-ih inte&raci>a ! $ 8ru&o , V vodstvoV mora biti o>aRana -o>i prvenstveno @ahti>eva d>elovan>e na francus-o , n>emaR-o> motora u podruR>u e-onoms-e politi-e i van>s-e politi-e $ %vo vodstvo >e u interesu svih , ali i dru&e drPave ima>u tendenci>u da &a odbili -ad su &a doPivl>ava>u -ao @a buduTnost europs-e inte&raci>e Francus-a mora prihvatiti dvi>e i@m>ene -o>e nisu la-o ob@irom na @eml>e nacionalni identitet V dire-tori> $ V :"rihvaTan>e nadnacionalnih pravila i @am>ena uporan pristup strane uv>erl>iv pristupu $ %no Sto >e na -oc-i u sl>edeTem referenduma o europs-om ustavu >esposobnost Francus-o> prihvatiti Europu -o>a ni>e nuPno Te i@&ledati poput Francus-e $