The Angst-Riddled French Reject the EU Constitution
By Ayesha K.

A casual glance over Europe reflects the pervasive ripples of dissatisfaction - the humbling of Gerhard Schroeder in Germany, the backlash in France and the Netherlands against the European Union Constitution and the general mistrust of politicians dripping from every social discourse. Anxieties range from the fear of losing jobs due to globalization, the crumbling European welfare system, and the challenge to social stability, cultural identity and secular traditions from immigration.

May 29th saw France in an extraordinarily nostalgic and confrontational mood. Some on the right wanted to recover its lost sovereignty, others on the left to preserve the old social state, and the grassroots wanted its revenge on the establishment: the EU constitution became the surrogate target for the discontent of all factions. What followed was the crushing defeat of the EU Constitution by 55% percent of the voters (with 70% of the population out to participate in the referendum, the decisive vote was clearly representative of the majority). Jacques Delors, one of the visionaries of the European Union, immediately announced the outcome as the most difficult crisis the member states have yet encountered. After all, as one of the six founding members of the European Union, what could have driven France to belligerently reject the EU Constitution at this juncture? And what kind of example was it setting for the others in the Union, which had only recently increased its membership to twenty-five.

But the EU bureaucrats need not fear for their jobs right now; what everyone is slowly realizing is that, for the French, the vote was far more about France than about the EU. The French problem with the EU Constitution can be examined across four dimensions: dissatisfaction with their politicians, in particular, President Jacques Chirac; frustration at the state of their economy and fear of immigrant workers, especially relevant for the youth which finds one of its four unemployed; an overwhelming desire to protect the French identity from the evil Anglo-Saxon culture; and finally, but not least important, a proclivity to engage in emotional discussions that cross the fine line from political debate to paralyzing arguments.

Political Crisis
President Jacques Chirac appealed to the “historic responsibility” of French voters from day one, urging them to support the European Constitution treaty. Every eligible voter was mailed a copy of the 191 page constitution, which on a cursory glance would not have appeared to be very controversial. The major tenants of the Constitution included abolishing the power of national governments to veto in many policy areas; creating a full-time EU President and foreign minister; and granting significant powers to the directly elected European Parliament. If anything, the Constitution seemed to streamline the EU and make it more democratic and efficient and very reminiscent of the American federation of states. But the face of the constitution in France was Jacques Chirac and he is full of controversy. With his popularity ratings at an eight-year low, the rejection was a humiliating and embarrassing defeat for Chirac.

“The no was really stupid. I wish I had voted because this result has taken us a step back. The French wanted to say ‘fuck you’ to the government and weren’t thinking of the consequences. The French are never happy with the government and that is what it was really about and not the constitution”

Capucine Bailley, from Paris, currently living in New York, studying photography

Even more indicative was that the ‘Non’ vote was a rejection of the whole state of politics in France; all mainstream parties - the ruling UMP on the centre-right, the centrist UDF, and the Socialist Party on the left - in the country stood in favor of the Constitution. It appears that French politicians, both those who are governing and those who sit in opposition, have been unable to connect to the population at large. And clearly, they have not been able to communicate the modern world and the advantages of globalization to the French people. Chirac may have fired his Prime Minister and replaced him with the aristocratic Dominique de Villepin to appease the populace, but another elite politician is unlikely to solve the problem.

Economic Woes

For those on the left who spurred the rejection of the Constitution, the red flag was the overall abysmal 10.2% unemployment rate in France. Shockingly, one in four people under the age of 25 is unemployed. The prospect of a united Europe opening its borders to eager immigrants from Central and Eastern Europe ready to take over the precious few jobs in the economy makes the French incredibly anxious. France still stands very much to the left in terms of its economic mode of existence, and even free-market initiatives are couched in socialist terms by the government. According to The Economist, “’Competition’ and ‘profit’ remain dirty words” in France. Chirac’s new Prime Minister has promised that tackling unemployment is the top priority of his government, but as long as France remains in the shackles of its dilapidated welfare system, economic recovery looks unlikely. But the French have an idealist, emotional belief in the socialist philosophy, one which stands in clear opposition to the single-market, capitalist structure of the European Union. At a time when the Iron Curtain has long risen and fallen, and countries like Britain and Spain have carried out successful reforms, the country’s attachment to a high-cost, state-heavy economy seems oddly out of sync with current trends in the world. If anything, economists argue that the move to free-market reforms will whip the sluggish French economy into better shape.

For the Love of All that is French

If those on the left fear the loss of their jobs, those on the right fear something far more profound: the loss of French identity itself. France has been silently, and sometimes not so silently, displeased with the expansion of the European Union over the past few years. A whole slate of countries formerly known as “Soviet Republics” or “Eastern Europe” now stands firmly under the proud flag of ‘Europe’. These include countries like Poland, Estonia, Bulgaria and Hungary. To make matters worse, there has been talk of including Turkey into the EU, whose 15 year projected plan of inclusion seems unreasonable to many except for the French, who would much rather prefer Turkey’s name never came up again. Since Europe has clearly forgotten what it means to be European, the French have taken on the lonely battle to protect their culture – language, vision, literature, music, et al - by themselves.

“We have a very strong identity, we are proud of our history and our culture. Getting too involved with the EU, having all these new people coming in from different cultures, is like having sediment at the bottom of the jar. It’s not a solution, like water with sugar or salt mixed properly but like mud which just settles at the bottom.”

Jean–Pierre, from Paris, currently living in New York, working as a trainer at Health & Racquet Club

Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin reflected in his inaugural address that “Frenchmen and Frenchwomen want to remain faithful to their identity, anxious to maintain a balance between solidarity and liberty”. Any French government in power recognizes the need of its people to feel secure about the preservation of the French identity. In particular, there is that centuries old cultural rivalry with Britain. As luck would have it, the Brits conquered America and left their Anglo-Saxon genes behind to haunt the French in the form of a new world superpower called the United States of America. As more and more countries subscribe to the Anglo-Saxon economic model and pop culture, the French feel fragile and understandably alone. Can the French rise to the occasion, forming a meta-nation of Francophiles that lives around the globe promoting and living the French ideals?

To Be or Not To Be?

France sometimes appears to be a country of Hamlets, haunted by the glories of the past, agonizing over the mistakes of the present, and paralyzed by the choices presented to them. Before the vote, debate on the EU Constitution raged everywhere from cafes to dinner tables to university campuses. Did each voter read the 191-page treatise called the Constitution; it’s not clear. What is clear is that they wanted to talk about it … a lot. So when Laurent Fabius, a leading leftist who was advocating the ‘Non’ campaign, came on television to discuss his views, over nine million people tuned in to watch him. To give an idea of the significance of this number, this was more than the number of people who watched France’s World Cup soccer final.

During the days leading up to the vote, five of the top best-selling non-fiction titles in France were related to the Constitution. Regular polls by newspapers showed a steady increase in the number of people who said they had discussed the Constitution the former week [Paris Match reported that its 86% of polled readers claimed that they had debated the vote the week before]. Some political commentators have hinted that the long hours spent debating details of the Constitution, had in effect led to confusion about the bigger picture and promoted the feeling of pessimism and angst amongst the French.

Salvation Still

The EU Constitution vote was illuminating for many observers both outside and within France. It raised serious questions about the political and economic state of the country, and the culture fundamentalists that threaten France’s ability to integrate in the world, as much as religious fundamentalists jeopardize the global participation of some Muslim countries. For now, France’s role in the federation of European states remains very much its own decision, since it is still regarded as one of the flagships of Europe’s elite fleet. But France is well-advised to take on the role with the magnanimity that becomes a leader, lest it be forgotten and replaced. As for the Constitution itself, after the Dutch also rejected it, it is gathering dust in the mortuary of dead treatises. But have no fear, EU bureaucrats are drumming up another one as you read this!