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Future of Europe
Interview given by Catherine Colonna, Minister Delegate for European Affairs, to "France Info"
Paris, March 16, 2006
FRANCE/EU Q. – A large majority of French people feel European, this is what's shown in the Eurobarometer survey commissioned by the European Commission and published today. Nine months after the rejection of the European Constitution in a referendum, a majority of the French considers that Europe has positive effects on air transport, the environment and training. On the other hand, the French blame Europe for the increase in the cost of living and deterioration in the employment situation and agriculture.
THE MINISTER – On the positive side, the French are committed to building Europe. They clearly see that all Europeans have common values distinguishing them from the rest of the world, so being European means something. They also recognize what the European Union has brought them in respect of security, the environment, the single market, and counteracting some of the downsides of globalization. And then there's a more general dissatisfaction: they think that Europe hasn't done enough on the jobs and social fronts. None of the successive governments has talked enough about Europe. So we must do so more and involve Parliament, all the elected representatives, local authorities and trade unions. Everyone has a role to play in saying what Europe is actually doing, doing well or less well, but we have to talk about it. ENLARGEMENT/FRANCE Q. – These MEPs you were among today in Strasbourg were due to consider a text on enlargement. And among the things revealed by this survey on what the French think about Europe there is precisely this suspicion about European Union enlargement.
THE MINISTER – Yes, we've clearly felt this for some time, and not just in France. Here too, I'd like to demolish some clichés. Enlargement has been a success, we're already benefiting from it. In ten years, our exports to these countries have increased fourfold! This means business activity, jobs. What's more, last December we managed to get an agreement on the European budget which ensures our solidarity with our new partners. That will allow them to develop. We don't want any social dumping in Europe. Q. – When you talk about the success of enlargement, what concerns the French and what the MEPs are looking at today is the pace of enlargement in the coming years.
THE MINISTER – France wanted this debated at the European Council, debated at the highest level! We must talk more about these matters there too: to determine what the European identity is, not just what criteria we're going to ask the countries wanting to join us to comply with, but also what we ourselves can absorb in the way of new member States. We're going to have this debate starting in June./.
Embassy of France in the United States - March 16, 2006
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