No Votes Against EU Constitution Signal Resistance to Underlying Issues

June 2, 2005

Source: The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/02/international/europe/02europe.html?

On June 2, 2005 The New York Times reported, "[T]he French 'non' on Sunday and the Dutch 'nee' on Wednesday have clearly left the European Union's proposed constitution a dead letter for now, frustrating the efforts of Europe's leaders to move to the next stage of integration... But there is something at stake here far broader than the constitution itself, which the Dutch rejected emphatically on Wednesday, 61.6 percent to 38.4 percent, according to unofficial results. There is a disaffection, perhaps even a rebellion, against the political elites in France, Germany and Italy...The public disaffection is different in each country, and more than economic matters are involved. Europeans are worried, among other things, that the rapid enlargement of the European Union, especially the prospect of Turkey's membership, will leave them more vulnerable to uncontrolled immigration, especially by Muslims. There is a sense, palpable in the Netherlands, that the whole European enterprise is controlled by unresponsive, unelected and unaccountable bureaucrats in Brussels who have it in their power to rob countries of their national identities."