Publication

France is one of ten countries whose population will decide whether to accept the new constitution of the European Union. The referendum on the draft Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe has been announced for the second half of 2005. Recent opinion polls suggest that more French are in favor of the Treaty than are against it, but ratification is not a foregone conclusion. Around a quarter of voters are still undecided, and the constitution's critics have stepped up their campaign to persuade them to vote "no." Some of the critics are EU opponents from the right and left, who feel the new Treaty goes too far.