La France face à la Constitution européenne : un héritage mal assumé
Nicolas Jabko
This article sheds light on the institutional factors weighing
in how French preferences were determined as regards the future of Europe.
The French government was obliged to take into account the reformulation
of the debate at the Convention and the European Institutional legacy. This
institutional rationale took precedence over the French leaders’ ambitions for
national power, considerations with regard to the effectiveness of the decisionmaking process and there vision of Europe. It later crippled the debate
over the referendum, for responsibility for it was never assumed in positive
terms.
• Le reformatage du débat
— L’échec de la négociation intergouvernementale
— Le succès de la Convention
• L’inertie des cheminements
— Le choix d’une initiative franco-allemande
— L’importance de l’héritage institutionnel
• Épilogue