Open Democracy: France and Europe: the democratic deficit exposed- by Patrice de Beer
The most immediately striking thing to observe is that a year later, not much has changed. In France, both sides of the argument have stuck to their positions: the nay-sayers persist in their opposition to the constitution despite the fact that the so-called "plan B" their leaders promised has yet to materialise, while the yes-sayers feel confirmed by their awareness (shared in this respect by a majority of the public) that France's image and influence in Europe have been hard-hit by the referendum's failure.
Another referendum on the European constitution seems out of the question, if for no other reason that on current trends it would see the Dutch and the French repeat their rejection. Meanwhile, the existing twenty-five member-states have not yet found a compromise solution for Europe to get out of the quagmire. The prospect then is stasis, at least until after the elections in these countries, due in 2007.
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