06/05/2005 3:04:16 pm
Does "Non" Mean "No"? In Tech Central Station, a leading European web magazine on politics and society, I write about the French referendum on the EU Constitution on May 29th:

"If the French say no, they do it for all of us. And they do it mainly because they say no to the free market, no to Turkey and no to Chirac. EU leaders say that there is no plan B, but of course there is. If the proposal falls, and if the EU needs a constitution, there will be a new proposal. From a free-market point of view, is that proposal likely to be better than the current one? Not very likely. If this one was turned down because it contained too little in the way of protecting European social programs, there will be more in the next proposal.

Then we will have the same situation again. In Britain, the Nordic countries and some countries in Eastern and Central Europe, the debate is the French one but reversed. A proposal with more big European government would definitely be rejected there.

Therefore, it seems more likely that the French voters -- if they say no -- will give us the two EUs that have been discussed for years. Some core countries, including France, that want a closer integration on social matters, will create such a union. But the basic foundation for the EU of 25, 27 and more countries will be a thinner document."

Read the entire article - >