Chirac calls spring referendum on EU Constitution

France will hold a referendum on the European Constitution in the spring, President Jacques Chirac announced today, calling on government ministers to work for a yes vote.

But first, the two houses of France’s parliament will vote formally in March to a revision of the French Constitution, needed to accommodate the expanded powers of the European Union, Justice Minister Dominique Perben said.

Chirac has ensured that the constitutional revision will include a major new element making a referendum obligatory each time the EU would expand to include another country.

Article 3 of the bill revising the constitution enables Chirac to make good on his promise to let the French have ”the last word” on whether mostly Muslim Turkey becomes a member, a commitment he reiterated today.

Chirac told ministers at the first Cabinet meeting of the year that the bill revising the French constitution will also strengthen the parliament’s “intervention powers” in setting down European legislation.

The two aspects of the French constitutional revision address fears of some French over Turkey’s eventual membership in the EU and over concerns that the EU itself could eat away at the ability of France to act.

The year 2005 will be “decisive for Europe,” Chirac said, urging ministers to “commit themselves personally” to a yes vote for “this great European design”.

“The European project is at the heart of our national interest,” the French president said. “On choosing Europe anew, France increases its chances for the future and gives itself the means to have more weight in the world.”