Press Interpreter

06/02/05 -- London announced, on Monday 6th June, the suspension of their referendum on the European Constitution, hoping to cause the other doubting countries to follow in its wake, in spite of the French-German alliance to persevere towards ratification.

When there are only ten days until a European summit, which ought to be largely devoted to the crisis caused by the no by the French and Dutch to the ratification of the treaty, this exercise is not free of danger. And the British Foreign Minister, Jack Straw, confirmed, on Monday around 16.30,the suspension of their referendum. He carefully weighed his words,delivered before the House of Commons, and announced the suspension solemnly
– London does not want to appear to be the grave-digger of the treaty before the European Summit in Brussels on 16th and 18th of June.

The Foreign Secretary stated that they had abandoned the fixing of a date for the discussion with the Members of Parliament, which would open the way to a referendum, but indicated that “if circumstances change,� he might put the project before the House of Commons. “For the moment, there is no point� in doing do, Jack Straw said.

After the double no-vote from the French and Dutch in their referenda on the European Constitution, on the 29th May and 1st June, London has not stopped advocating “a period of reflection� for their European partners.

A spokesperson of the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, has again repeated on Sunday, after the Franco-German alliance on Saturday evening in Berlin launched a call for the ratification to take place in the thirteen member states yet to decide, Berlin and Paris are thus in unison with the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Durao Barroso, who is hostile to “any unilateral decision� before the summit in mid-June.

Almost all of the capitals have officially pronounced that they will follow the process towards ratification. Thus, London could see itself isolated on the 16th and 17th June.

Snowball Effect

But Great Britain also knows that several other countries, in which
referenda are envisaged, are concerned about the eventual snowballing effect after the French and Dutch no-vote.

For instance, in Denmark polls show the no-vote taking off. The President of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Klaus, has himself suggested that it would be useless to ratify the treaty in its present form.

Estonia has already announced a vote from Parliament to ratify in the autumn without binding itself to the double no-vote from the French and Dutch.

“The main risk� for Tony Blair, explains Michael Bruter, an expert at the London School of Economics, “would be to have cramped the other European Heads of State. But it becomes clear that there is an explosion in both camps, between those who would like to continue and those who think that it must stop.�

“That the Constitution is dead, is becoming more and more evident across Europe, even if it is not always realized publicly.� This is affirmed, for its part, in Monday’s Guardian (centre-left). But he calls on the British government to “avoid all triumphalism,� especially as London takes over the Presidency of the European Union on 1st July, which will burden Tony Blair with managing the crisis.

The Vision of Europe as a Free Trade Zone

The abandonment of the ratification of the European Constitution by London deals a hard blow to the continuation of a process of the European Constitution. The continuation of this process appears to be increasingly unlikely since France and the United Kingdom, two of the heavy-weights of Europe have given up. But this decision is within the aim of the majority of the British people towards the building of Europe.

In effect, the French electorate, in voting no to the Constitution, have delighted the majority of British people, who are hostile to the integrative political agenda contained within the constitutional treaty.

The rejection of the European Constitution will reinforce the effect of the English leaning parties within Europe calling for the least legislation possible, favouring free trade and competition, to the detriment of the politics of solidarity in particular in relation to the poorer regions of the EU.

It would become, then, a vast economic union without real political
ambition, whereas the European Constitution would have fostered political development in defence and foreign policy, but also reinforced the community institutions, in particular the Commission and the European Parliament.

This vision corresponds also with that of several of the new member states of the EU, attaching a market economy with their national sovereignties and in favour of a transatlantic bond, heavily to the detriment of a Europe with an autonomous defence.

The crisis surrounding the European Constitution has therefore created a vacuum which allows the United Kingdom to triumph – or in any case to make headway – in its vision of Europe, which is largely liberal, precisely at the moment when it will take its six month presidency of Europe.

[Full Article]

Anonymous Editorial

--Translated by Katherine Apps

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