Paris, 24/02/2006 (Agence Europe) - France has no "miracle solution" to propose to break the deadlock in which the draft European Constitution has been since the "no" in the French and Dutch referendums (and no French initiative can be expected before the presidential elections of May 2007), but it does not intend to allow the EU to slip into a state of "paralysis", government sources told a group of European journalists on a visit to Paris on Thursday. "After the failure of the referendum, we are not in a position to lecture to anybody else, but this does not mean that France cannot have any ideas" about the future of Europe, these sources declared. According to Paris, urgent measures are required for two things: institutionally (given that the Constitution "will not happen overnight") and in terms of the concrete plans and actions which the EU must immediately undertake to win back the confidence and support of the citizens.
Shortcomings of the current institutions of the EU. Paris believes that the current institutions do not have what it takes to allow the EU to function now that it has 25 members, much less when there are 27, once Bulgaria and Romania have joined. In the absence of a Constitution, and without having to wait for the end of the constitutional process, France would like to take action within the context of existing treaties to improve the functioning of the European institutions, starting with the common foreign and security policy (CFSP). Javier Solana's role and resources should both be increased. Paris also says that it is "open" to the idea of anticipating the implementation of a European diplomatic service and the European Foreign Minister (two aspects provided for in the draft Constitution). France further believes that the existing treaties already allow subsidiarity to be reinforced, by involving the national parliaments more closely in the European decision-making process. France would also like to reinforce the Eurogroup, essentially to improve the economic and social governance of the euro between the countries of the euro zone. Paris could imagine, in the future, ad hoc meetings between the ministers of the countries of the euro zone on subjects directly linked to the correct governance of the euro. Further cooperation within "pioneer groups", built up around the countries of the euro zone, should follow if, on certain specific questions, it should prove impossible to make progress between all 25 members. A Summit of Heads of State and Government of the countries of the euro zone? (an idea mooted by, amongst others, the Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt: Ed). "Why not, when the time comes", came the reply from the Quai d'Orsay, but the need to be "prudent" was emphasised, because the priority objective must, of course, remain to go forward together, all 25, if at all possible. "We must avoid giving the impression that a few countries will form a hardcore which the others cannot enter". But the prospect of "doing something among the few countries", whilst leaving the door open to the others, is considered by Paris to be a "good idea".
A Europe of projects. At the same time as these "small" institutional reforms, France would like to launch a "Europe of projects". The idea is that in the very short term, the EU must concentrate on concrete plans which can be achieved within the framework of the existing treaties, without having to wait for Europe's constitutional muddle to be sorted out. These concrete actions will "give a shot in the arm to European dynamism and re-establish our links of trust with the citizens", said Paris, where it is suggested that the 25 agree on "a few priorities", principally those identified at the Informal European Council of Hampton Court in October 2005. In brief, at the European Council of 23/24 March, President Jacques Chirac intends to propose a few of the projects
currently making the rounds of French governmental circles, targeting the following areas, amongst others: -energy. Having presented its own memorandum for a common EU strategy in the field of energy in January (EUROPE 9115 of 24 January, p.9), France is impatiently awaiting the Commission's Green Paper, which it hopes will be the starting point for a genuine common energy policy which, in the long run, will lead to joint measures in terms of security of energy stocks, the interconnection of energy networks, relations with the supplier countries, a renewable energy policy, tax breaks, etc; -the development of the CFSP, particularly by giving more ambitious resources to Javier Solana (see above); -the creation of a European intervention force in case of natural disasters. The Quai d'Orsay finds it "unacceptable" that the "European Union was not there" to come to the rescue of the government and population of one of its Member States, in reference to the widespread fires which hit Portugal in 2005. This intervention force would doubtless have a considerable impact on the citizens' image of the EU, the French sources continued; -the creation of a joint border police force. Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy has already discussed this with his German opposite number Wolfgang Schäuble and consultations are underway with other Member States with a view to launching such a project, it was explained; -the introduction of a European police record; -the development of European defence. "Even without a Constitution, we must do more" in this field; -research and cooperation between universities. Paris is favourable to the Commission's idea of developing the European Institute of Technology ("anything European in this field can only be good"). The French government also pleads for the Erasmus bursaries to be doubled; -the introduction of "learning Europe" in schools. Paris believes that it should be "obligatory" for European modules to be brought in (focusing on the values and interests of European integration) for all secondary schools in the Member States.
In the French government circles, it was stated that there is a "genuine interest in our partners"- starting with Germany- to carry out such projects. Germany is still considered a natural partner to propose and launch these projects, which will feature on the agenda of the forthcoming Council of the Franco-German Ministers, which is due to take place in Berlin on 14 March. The relationship between France and Germany "remains fundamental and indispensable, but not exclusive", it was emphasised.
Enlargement. France is extremely committed to the holding of a debate between the Heads of State and Government on the EU's enlargement strategy, at the European Council of 15/16 June. "The EU must start to talk about enlargement overall, and its end purpose, instead of going forward on a case-by-case basis", stressed these Paris sources. "Up until now, we rather have the impression that enlargement is a purely technical business, managed by an autopilot system", whereas the European leaders have never held a proper strategic debate about the European identity and the limits of enlargement, meaning the external borders of the EU, said the Quai d'Orsay. The absorption capacity of the Union is already part of the accession criteria laid down in Copenhagen in 1993, but it has never been defined with any precision. "The time has come to specify what the Union's absorption capacity is. If we welcome the Balkan states as members of the EU, what will this mean in terms of the EU's institutional functioning, or financially?" asked Paris. The source continued: "no enlargement will be possible if the Union does not have the necessary absorption capacity". The debate at the European Council of June on enlargement will certainly not answer all these questions, but "it should clearly put the subject on the table" and, if possible, set in place a kind of road map for the debates to continue. France has already announced that is has brought provisions into its Constitution stipulating that after the accession of Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia, France's ratification of any other accession treaty (including that of Turkey) must be put to popular referendum. On the accession of Turkey, these French government sources stated that "France and Germany will, in any case, share the same position. A Franco-German disagreement over the issue of Turkish accession is unthinkable". The fear of the French over successive waves of EU enlargement and their socio-economic consequences (genuine or otherwise) "had a very considerable weight" in the French "no" to the Constitution, said François Fillon, former Minister and now political adviser to Nicolas Sarkozy. "The fact that the EU has no identity nor clearly established borders led many French people to reject the draft European Constitution as it stood", he explained. The UMP will make Europe one of the subjects of its presidential campaign and the issue of the external borders of the Union is extremely likely to dominate, said Mr Fillon, who added that we must "move away from this choice between full accession and nothing at all".
Free movement of workers from the new Member States. France hopes that the 2004 wave of enlargement is a "successful enlargement, fully accepted by the general public". This means that on the issue of opening up the employment markets, we must be "both realistic and ambitious", said Paris. For the time being, the government has not yet reached a decision ("we are weighing up the for and against "), but it appears that we are moving towards a certain sectorial opening of the French employment market (for certain categories of jobs) to nationals of the new Member States. France has until 1 May to notify the European Commission of its decision, which may be taken at an inter-ministerial committee, chaired by Dominique de Villepin, which is due to take place on 13 March.