French view on ENP

1
French view on ENP

•   

2
Outline

• France the EU 
•  Je taime, moi non plus 
• French view on ENP
• Perspectives cul-de-sac or new beginning?
• Discussion

3
France the EU   Je taime, moi non plus 

• EU-25 French officials took the citizens
  support for granted
• Lack of debate
• Lack of official communication
• 2005 referendum debate why did the NO win?
• The Polish plumber cliché how crucial has been
  the enlargement critique?
• Short-term factors
• Long-term factors

4

• Short-term factors
• A vote against the government in a context of
  economic stagnation
• Free-rider, populistic behaviour of some
  political leaders
• Lack of communication both on enlargement and the
  Constitutional Treaty
• Long-term factors
• Good old anti-European feelings
• The vicious circle of the lack of communication
  and the fear towards the voters
• A paradoxal vote

5
French view on ENP

• No structured debate
• No public perception of the ENP
• No official communication on the ENP at the
  Foreign Office the weight of tradition
• France and the EU-neighbours
• Reluctance to further enlargement
• Much attention for the Mediterranean region
• Less attention for the Eastern neighbours
• Question-mark Balkans

6

• Overview of the French academic approaches
• New subject
• Interdisciplinarity
• Regional approaches, case studies
• 4 major stakes
• Demography
• Economic structures
• Institutions
• Geopolitical dynamics

7
Perspectives Cul-de-sac or new beginning?

• Cul-de-sac
• A slow agony of the Constitution?
• Democracy vs. Enlargement?
• ENP as a very long-term substitute for
  enlargement
• New beginning
• Engage French public opinion
• Keep further enlargements in sight
• ENP may be THE solution a mid-term alternative
  to enlargement

8
Discussion

• ENP a chance for the Grande Nation?

9
Thank you for your attention... and sorry for
our French accent

10
(No Transcript)