A franca fecha para balanco

In: Relações internacionais: R:I, Heft 7, S. 121-125

Abstract

This is a discussion of the recent French rejection of the proposed European constitution, looking at the reasons some of the French voted in favor of it & others against it. The motives of the French middle class are assessed, with the conclusion that a nervousness about unemployment led these French voters to opt for protectionism rather than the constitution. The effects of the French vote are also analyzed, both in terms of domestic & European politics. Domestically, the negative vote meant political trouble for President Jacques Chirac, while internationally, the negative vote isolated France to a certain extent within the EU, though France continues to hold a central political & economic position within Europe. The article concludes with some thoughts on the effects of the vote on France's relations with the current British government of Tony Blair. R. Young