France, which together with Germany has led European integration, has rejected the European constitution in a national referendum, putting the brakes on a process that had been going relatively smoothly. European leaders will gather next month to discuss what to do, but it will be hard for them to come up with a plan that does anything more than continue on schedule with the referendum process in each member country until the fall of next year.
France's rejection of the European constitution means the integration process that has continued for half a century has run into a major obstacle at a decisive point in the expansion and incorporation stage. The European Union (EU) just accepted ten Eastern European nations as members last year, and is about to begin negotiations with Turkey, part of the Islamic world, on potential membership as well. Until now the focus of the EU has been economic integration, but the constitution now undergoing a series of ratification votes seeks political integration, including the establishment of positions of president and foreign minister. Instead of coordinating policy, the EU would be unifying the political structures of each country. As a result it was more than the traditional opponents, the extreme right and extreme left, but also the centrists behind integration who were expressing concern. The French citizens who voted no in the referendum cited as their primary reason worries about the destruction of the welfare system and the loss of French sovereignty and identity. It is highly likely that the strength behind the push for integration will become noticeably weak or the schedule will be largely delayed unless those concerns are resolved.
The EU is called human history's greatest political experiment because it is a process where dozens of countries voluntarily give up a considerable degree of sovereignty to unite as one. It is an example for the peaceful reunification of North and South Korea. What the French referendum reconfirms is that economic integration and political integration are qualitatively different processes. What that means is that making progress in political integration requires far more detailed preparation and effort than economic integration.
The Hankyoreh, 31 May 2005.
[Translations by Seoul Selection (PMS)]
The French Vote on European Integration |
