Jonah Patel
The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe (TCE) was an international treaty intended to create a consolidated constitution for the European Union (EU). It was signed on 29 October 2004 by representatives of the then 25 member states of the European Union. However, it was rejected in referendums in France and the Netherlands in 2005, bringing the ratification process to an end. On 29 May 2005, 55% of French voters rejected the treaty on a 69% turnout. The Dutch followed suit on 1 June, with 61% voting against the treaty on a 62% turnout.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of referendum | 29 May 2005 (France), 1 June 2005 (The Netherlands) |
| Percentage of votes against | 55% (France), 61% (The Netherlands) |
| Turnout | 69% (France), 62% (The Netherlands) |
| Countries that approved the treaty in referendums | Spain, Luxembourg |
| Countries that cancelled their referendums | All other member states that had proposed to hold referendums |
| Political consequences | French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin was replaced by Dominique de Villepin, UMP leader Nicolas Sarkozy returned to the cabinet as Minister of the Interior |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
France rejected the treaty by 55% to 45%
On 29 May 2005, France held a referendum on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, to decide whether the French government should ratify the proposed constitution of the European Union. 55% of voters rejected the treaty, with a 69% turnout.
France was the second country to hold a referendum on the treaty, after Spain, which approved the treaty with 76% voting in favour. France was, however, the first country to reject the treaty. The referendum result was surprising to political commentators, with those in favour of the "yes" vote having received 71% of mentions on television between 1 January and 31 March.
The French referendum result had significant consequences. It left the treaty with an uncertain future, with other EU member states pledging to continue with their own ratification processes. The rejection, coupled with a similar result in the Dutch referendum, seriously damaged the legitimacy of the Constitution.
Prior to the referendum, the Constitutional Council of France ruled that the European Constitution could not legally coexist with the current Constitution of France. A vote was taken to amend the Constitution of France to make the two documents compatible. This amendment passed in an extraordinary joint session of deputies and senators at the Palace of Versailles on 28 February 2005, with 730 votes in favour and 66 votes against, with 96 abstentions.
The "Yes" side in the referendum was led by party leader François Hollande, while the "No" side was led by Laurent Fabius, a prominent socialist. The "No" campaign consistently led in the weeks leading up to the referendum, and many predicted that France would reject the Constitution.
Branches of Power: Constitutional Principles
You may want to see also
The Netherlands rejected it by a margin of 61% to 39%
On 1 June 2005, the Netherlands rejected the Constitutional Treaty by a margin of 61% to 39%. This was shortly after France had also rejected the treaty, and these two rejections seriously damaged the legitimacy of the treaty. In fact, it was the last referendum to be held on the Constitution, as all the other member states that had proposed to hold referendums cancelled them.
The Netherlands' rejection of the treaty was somewhat counter-intuitive, as the Dutch government later supported the Lisbon Treaty, which replaced the Constitutional Treaty. This was despite the fact that the Lisbon Treaty included many of the changes that were originally placed in the Constitutional Treaty.
The Dutch government's response to the vote has been described as "counter-intuitive", as they later supported a treaty with similar content. One explanation for this is that diplomatic pressure ultimately made the government say 'yes' despite the people voting 'no'. Another theory is that governments make a cost-benefit analysis after a referendum, and this is what occurred in the Netherlands.
The rejection of the Constitutional Treaty by Dutch voters brought the ratification process to an end. The Constitutional Treaty would have replaced the existing European Union treaties with a single text, given legal force to the Charter of Fundamental Rights, and expanded qualified-majority voting into policy areas that had previously required unanimity among member states.
Congress Powers: Where Are They Granted?
You may want to see also
This was the first national referendum in over 200 years in the Netherlands
France and the Netherlands rejected the constitutional treaty in a referendum in 2005. The Netherlands held a referendum on 1 June 2005, which was the first national referendum in over 200 years. The referendum was held to decide whether the government should ratify the proposed Constitution of the European Union.
The referendum was held just three days after the French referendum on the same issue. The French rejected the treaty by a margin of 55% to 45% on a 69% turnout. The Dutch referendum was, therefore, regarded as irrelevant since all EU member states needed to ratify the treaty for it to take effect. However, Dutch campaigners for a "Yes" vote appealed to the electorate to avoid damaging the Netherlands' standing in Europe, as the French result had weakened France's position.
The Dutch referendum was consultative and not binding on the government. The government did say, however, that it would abide by a decisive result, provided turnout exceeded 30%. The turnout was 63.3%, with 61.54% voting against the treaty. This outcome led to an end to the ratification of the Treaty.
The Netherlands had not held a referendum on the euro, and there was concern that its adoption had led to an increase in the cost of living. There was also widespread disillusionment with the country's political elite, and the government was trying to push through cuts in public spending. These factors contributed to the "No" vote.
Key Issues at the Heart of the Constitution
You may want to see also
Explore related products
The French referendum was preceded by a vote to amend the constitution
On 29 May 2005, France held a referendum on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, also known as the European Constitution or the Constitutional Treaty. This referendum decided whether the French government should ratify the proposed constitution of the European Union.
Before the referendum, the Constitutional Council of France ruled that the European Constitution could not coexist with the current Constitution of France. Thus, a vote was held to amend the French constitution to make the two documents compatible. This amendment was passed in a joint session of deputies and senators at the Palace of Versailles on 28 February 2005, with 730 votes in favour, 66 against, and 96 abstentions. The ruling party, the Socialists, the Union for a Popular Movement, and the Union for French Democracy supported the amendment, while Communist Party members voted against it.
The referendum on the European Constitution was highly contested, with both "Yes" and "No" campaigns in the lead at different times. The \"Yes\" side was led by party leader François Hollande, while the \"No\" side was led by Laurent Fabius, a former prime minister and deputy leader. Laurent Fabius's decision to opt for the "No" campaign was seen as a paradoxical move, as he had traditionally been on the center-right of the Socialist Party. Within the Socialist Party, 59% of members voted "Yes", while 26 out of 102 regional federations voted "No".
The referendum result was a victory for the "No" campaign, with 55% of voters rejecting the treaty on a 69% turnout. France was the second country to hold a referendum on the treaty, after Spain, which approved it in February 2005. France's rejection of the treaty left its future uncertain, and other EU member states continued with their own ratification processes. The \"No\" vote was later overridden by the French parliament.
Electoral College: Unfair or Unfairly Applied?
You may want to see also
The French referendum result surprised political commentators
On 29 May 2005, France held a referendum on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, deciding whether the French government should ratify the proposed constitution of the European Union. The result was a victory for the "no" campaign, with 55% of voters rejecting the treaty on a 69% turnout. France was the second country to hold a referendum on the treaty, after Spain, which approved the treaty by a wide margin in February.
France's rejection of the Constitution left the treaty with an uncertain future, with other EU member states pledging to continue with their own arrangements for ratification. The rejection, coupled with a similar result in the Dutch referendum, seriously damaged the legitimacy of the Constitution. However, subsequent EU Presidency holders vowed to keep it going.
The issue of the Constitution caused considerable divisions within the party, with many members opposing the Constitution due to a perceived lack of democratic accountability and the threat it posed to the European social model. Objections to the constitution in France could be broadly divided into two camps. On the left, many expressed the view that the Constitution would enforce a neoliberal economic model, including some members of the Socialist Party, some members of the Green Party, the Communist Party, and the Citizen and Republican Movement. On the right, President Jacques Chirac defended the Constitution as a possible barrier against neoliberal economic policies.
Thomas Paine's 'Common Sense': Forging the Constitution
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
France and the Netherlands rejected the constitutional treaty in referendums held on 29 May 2005 and 1 June 2005, respectively.
55% of voters rejected the treaty, with a turnout of 69%.
61% of voters rejected the treaty, with a turnout of 62%.
There were various reasons for the rejection of the treaty in France, including anti-EU sentiment, opposition to EU membership for Turkey, and fears over losing control of immigration policy.
The rejection of the treaty by France and the Netherlands brought the ratification process to an end. It also seriously damaged the legitimacy of the Constitution and left its future uncertain.
