What the French will be voting for

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32874, 24 March 1972, Page 8

What the French will be voting for

President Pompidou’s announcement of a referendum in France on the enlargement of the European Economic Community caused consternation in Britain, where he was about to meet the Prime Minister (Mr Heath). Rejection by the French people of the Community’s enlargement could hardly be ignored by the French President; and the entry of Britain and the other applicant States would become highly unlikely. The possibility, however, is remote. The French referendum is bound to provoke renewed calls for a referendum—or a General Election—on

the question in Britain. The British Government’s official reaction to the French President’s decision is that the referendum is an internal matter for the French; privately, Mr Heath cannot have been at all pleased with President Pompidou. The French Government will certainly do its best to win a vote supporting the enlargement of the E.E.C. This would enhance President Pompidou’s standing and perhaps regain for his Government some of the political ground lost during the fuss over the allegations of tax evasion made against the Prime Minister (Mr Chaban-Delmas). It might also isolate the Communists and other political factions which oppose the enlargement of the Community, as they oppose the Community itself. President Pompidou has good grounds for believing that the referendum will favour enlargement, if for no other reason than that French fanners are the main beneficiaries of the Common Agricultural Policy and Britain’s entry would swell greatly the funds available under the policy.

President Pompidou’s use of the referendum is worth contrasting with that of General de Gaulle, who appealed to the people through referenda on several occasions. General de Gaulle’s practice was to present the choice as “Me or chaos ” —chaos meaning the rule of the political parties. The referendum thus became a kind of re-election of General de Gaulle above the parties. Even General de Gaulle’s own party, the Gaullists, could do little but approve what the President did. President Pompidou, however, is using the referendum not to isolate himself from the parties but to isolate one section of the French political spectrum.

But the profoundest implications of the referendum concern neither internal French politics nor public opinion in Britain; they are concerned with what kind of Europe it is going to be when Britain and the other applicants join. It was to this question that President Pompidou and Mr Heath mainly addressed themselves. In thinking about European integration they apparently found themselves on the same side. They represent the “ confederationists ” —those who think that Europe should be a collection of nation States—as opposed to the “federalists” who want to see a Europe governed, to all intents and purposes, from one capital and electing a European parliament by direct vote.

The French and British leaders decided that the role of the European Commission was to carry out the wishes of the Council of Ministers efficiently; the European Parliament should continue within its present terms of reference, and a secretariat should be appointed to look after political affairs. The Council of Ministers is now composed of Ministers from the national governments of the Six, and the European Parliament consists of representatives of their national parliaments. The two leaders were thus agreed that there should be no radical change; and the French referendum is clearly designed to emphasise the country’s determination to retain control over its own destiny.