Jacques Chirac urged his compatriots to stay united and proud of the nation he led for 12 years in his final presidential appeal tonight.

The two candidates to be France’s next president faced each other tonight in their first televised debate of the campaign before the weekend vote, and sparks flew almost from the start.

The late Socialist Francois Mitterrand is seen as France’s best president since the Fifth Republic began in 1958, more popular even than World War II hero Charles de Gaulle, the republic’s first president.

Britain’s presidency of the European Union has achieved “very little”, former French President Valery Giscard d’Estaing said today.

The architect of the EU constitution today blamed the EU crisis on France’s rejection of the treaty, saying it opened a chasm within the 25-member bloc.

The French were closing a tumultuous and divisive referendum campaign today about Europe’s future and their place in it, with rebellious, disgruntled voters seemingly determined to rattle the continent and President Jacques Chirac by saying “non!” to the European Union’s first constitution.

The European Union constitution was set to clear its final legislative hurdle in Germany today as the upper house of parliament votes on the charter, two days before French voters have their say in a referendum.

TWO new opinion polls yesterday suggested France was firmly on course to reject the EU’s new constitution, increasing pressure on President Jacques Chirac, who made a final plea to voters to back the charter.

European parliament president Pat Cox today received a prestigious international prize for his “outstanding personal contribution” to European unity.

France’s opposition is celebrating today after crushing the conservative government of President Jacques Chirac in local elections and setting the stage for a cabinet shake-up.

French President Jacques Chirac is “not certain” a compromise accord on a EU constitution can be reached at a crucial summit this week.

EC president Romano Prodi today urged EU leaders to extend majority voting when they review the draft EU constitution.

RÓNÁN MULLEN, in analysing Valéry Giscard D’Estaing’s draft European constitution (Irish Examiner, June 11), forgot one important point: the French, who gave us Jean-Paul Sartre’s Being and Nothingness and Monsieur Guillotine’s revolutionary invention (the bread slicer), are quite capable of anything.

Delegates drafting a first-ever constitution for the European Union today agreed on a final draft spelling out how the expanding bloc will be run in the decades ahead.

The Convention discussing Europe’s future was finalising its plans for a constitutional treaty today, after 16 months of gruelling work designed to streamline the expanding European Union.

Delegates drafting the European Union’s first-ever constitution continued last minute haggling today about a final text that could introduce sweeping changes to how the EU is run.

Plans for a new constitution for Europe were being published today with references to a federal Europe dropped.

FORMER Fine Gael leader John Bruton has lashed out at attempts to introduce a level playing field on corporate tax within the EU.

IRELAND will lose more MEPs if proposals being put forward by the head of the organisation debating the future of the European Union are accepted.

FOREIGN affairs minister Brian Cowen said yesterday that the Iraqi crisis can still be resolved peacefully though the United Nations.

THE basic outline of a constitution that will shape and govern the future of the European Union was broadly welcomed by Ireland’s representatives on the convention yesterday.

THE paucity of the “Yes” case in the Nice referendum can be gleaned from their leaflet:

Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi appears headed for victory in a confrontation with his EU partners over his appointment to a key panel of a man who once called Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini ‘‘the greatest statesman’’ of the 20th century.