From: delval@Csli.Stanford.EDU (Alvaro del Val)
Subject: The french referendum on Maastricht
Organization: Stanford University CSLI
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 19:16:42 GMT

I thought the enclosed UPI news could be of general interest. I'd also
like to hear opinions from people about how the whole process is going
on in France wrt. the referendum, and about the effects of a negative
result. Maastricht would then be dead, but not the unified market. But
I have some doubts about how smoothly the unified market would work in
such a situation. After such a blow to the political will to
cooperate, there's every reason to think that it would be ripe time
for all sorts of narrowly nationalistic interpretations of the unified
market provisions, potentially depriving it of much of its content.
("Sorry, chap, but only apples treated with this pesticide which is
only produced in my country satisfy my environmental standards" Well,
maybe this specific example is ruled out, but governments sure will
find other excuses). And, furthermore, perhaps this attitude would be
quite justified in the case of the poorer countries, given the
"unfair" advantage that the unified market gives to the richer, more
competitive countries. Besides, the European parliament would stay
with its current (non-)powers, so even the small progress made on the
"democratic deficit" will be gone with the wind.

Comments?

Alvaro

------ Reprinted without permission -----

From: clarinews@clarinet.com (EDUARDO CUE)
Newsgroups: clari.biz.economy.world,clari.news.europe
Subject: Chirac says a no to Maastricht will destabilize Europe
Keywords: non-usa government, government operation, non-usa economy,
	economy, international trade, trade
Date: 27 Aug 92 17:35:29 GMT

	PARIS (UPI) -- Former conservative Prime Minister Jacques Chirac
strongly urged French voters Thursday to approve the Maastricht Treaty
in a referendum next month, saying that a negative vote will destabilize
Europe and isolate France.
	Chirac, the head of the neo-Gaullist Rally for the Republic Party
that is deeply divided over the treaty, told a radio interviewer that he
will support it despite its ``many faults'' and the partisan political
considerations he said inspired it.
	``I will vote 'yes' in the Sept. 20 referendum,'' Chirac said on the
Europe One radio network. ``It will be a reasonable and at the same time
responsible vote.''
	``We do not have the right today to interrupt the process of European
construction. We do not have the right to destabilize Europe,'' he said.
``We do not have the right to isolate France and make it the black sheep
of Europe.''
	Chirac's comments, which were immediately greeted with relief by the
Socialist government, were his strongest to date in support of the
treaty that will create a single monetary unit and central bank to
manage it and move the the 12 European Community countries to closer
cooperation in political and defense matters.
	The former prime minister has vacillated in his support for
Maastricht, hurting his chances in the next presidential election,
according to French political analysts. His RPR party is sharply divided
over the issue, with leading members such as Philippe Seguin leading the
charge against the accord.
	Chirac, who served as President Francois Mitterrand's prime minister
between 1986 and 1988, warned that voting against Maastricht to sanction
the socialists would only backfire.
	``They in effect would be sanctioning France,'' he said of those that
vote no, ``because the government will remain socialist, the president
will remain in office.''
	Mitterrand has said that the vote is non-partisan and that it will
have no effect on his political future, but several leading members of
the opposition have been trying in recent weeks to turn the referendum
into a confidence vote on the president, whose current term in office
does not expire until 1995.
	Other opposition leaders are urging voters to hold their sanction
vote until the crucial legislative elections scheduled for March. In the
meantime, supporters of the treaty, such as former President Valery
Giscard d'Estaing,are urging Mitterrand to wage a low-key campaign in
favor of the accord.
	``The less Francois Mitterrand intervenes, the better it will be for
the referendum's results,'' Giscard said in a reference to the
president's current low standing in the polls.
	Chirac made his radio comments one day after a second poll showed
that opponents of the treaty are now in the majority. An IPSOS poll
taken for the weekly newsmagazine Le Point showed that 52 percent of
voters who had made up their mind would reject the treaty, while 48
percent would vote in favor of it.
	The poll was published one day after another survey taken for the
magazine Paris Match and two French television networks gave opponents a
51 percent to 49 percent edge. Other surveys, however, have given narrow
majorities to the pro-Maastricht forces.
	But all the polls agree that a large number of the French remain
undecided, making it impossible to predict the outcome of a referendum
that only two months ago was thought certain to pass.


Xref: sparky soc.culture.europe:7920 eunet.politics:1161 soc.culture.greek:8226