Friday

29th Mar 2024

France says Non to the Constitution

France has rejected the EU Constitution with 54.87 per cent of the electors voting against the treaty and 45.13 per cent voting in favour, final results show.

The turnout of the referendum was very high, 69.74 per cent, with an abstention rate of only 30,26 per cent, very close to the 30.3 per cent during the previous EU-related referendum, on the treaty of Maastricht in 1992.

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Reacting to the result, President Jacques Chirac called it the "sovereign decision" of the French people.

He also referred to the implications of the no vote saying "the decision of France inevitably creates a difficult context for defending our interests in Europe".

But the president has yet to tackle the implications for his own centre-right government saying he would take a decision on its future "in the coming days".

The announcement of the results puts an end to months of intensive campaigns, debates and speculations over which side would win.

But it will unleash huge debate about what the implications will mean for the rest of Europe.

Opinion

Can the French rejection be rejected?

It is up to the French to decide if they will respect their referendum or ignore it, says Danish MEP Jens-Peter Bonde.

Ukraine slams grain trade restrictions at EU summit

Restrictions on Ukrainian agricultural exports to the EU could translate into military losses in their bid to stop Russia's war, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky warned EU leaders during their summit in Brussels on Thursday.

Difficult talks ahead on financing new EU defence spending

With the war in Ukraine showing no signs of ending any time soon, EU leaders will meet in Brussels on Thursday and Friday (21 and 22 March) to discuss how to boost the defence capabilities of Ukraine and of the bloc itself.

Opinion

Why UK-EU defence and security deal may be difficult

Rather than assuming a pro-European Labour government in London will automatically open doors in Brussels, the Labour party needs to consider what it may be able to offer to incentivise EU leaders to factor the UK into their defence thinking.

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