Brussels, 31/05/2005 (Agence Europe) - John Monks, Secretary General of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), who has been campaigning for the European Constitution since he became leader of the ETUC, said the ETUC was disappointed with the French 'No' vote, but respected the decision. 'Now the EU faces a crisis,' he writes: 'For the first time in its history, the people of one of the six founding Member States have rejected the way Europe is constructed. It seems to be not a rejection of Europe in general, but of a neo-liberal Europe. It is also a reaction to fears of high unemployment, delocalisation and insecurity.' The ETUC notes that it has been warning for some time that 'support for European integration would ebb away if not enough attention was given to the social dimension. Unfortunately, we have been proved right. The constitution, which is not neo-liberal, has become a casualty of Member States ignoring Social Europe. … We now need a period of reflection and also, of course, to consider the democratic decisions of the other Member States.'
The Union of Industrial and Employers' Confederations of Europe, UNICE, regrets the French 'No' vote, describing it is an important setback. UNICE President Jurgen Strube said it is crucial that the EU continues to make progress and fully implement the revised Lisbon Strategy. The President of Eurochambres, Christophe Leitl, urges Europe to 'take a step forward and not backwards', adding that 'a two-speed Europe - in which some Member States cooperate on a closer basis than others - can be an alternative.' Rainer Plassmann, Secretary General of the European Centre of Enterprises with Public Participation and of Enterprises of General Economic Interest (CEEP) fears that 'after the French 'No' to the Constitutional Treaty, difficulties to establish more than merely an internal market will increase.' Paolo Bedoni, President of Italian farmers' organisation Coldiretti, says the French 'Non' must not be used as an excuse for making cuts in the EU's budget.