Europe’s Silent Pro-Treaty Majority
With 18 of the EU's 27 members having ratified the Constitutional Treaty, EU leaders should not ignore Europe's silent majority. If the current impasse over the Treaty is not resolved, the solution may consist in a "coalition of the willing" committed to the principles - effectiveness, transparency, and democracy - that have inspired European integration so far.
At the European Union’s coming EU summit, debate will center on whether to go forward with a “mini” EU Constitutional Treaty. That debate is the result of the rejection of the draft treaty by French and Dutch voters in 2005. But those “no” votes have obscured the fact that 18 of the EU’s 27 member states have ratified the treaty. Luxembourg’s voters, for example, approved it by a 56.5% majority immediately after the Dutch and French no votes. Indeed, with two-thirds of member states and a majority of European citizens supporting the Treaty, it cannot simply be abandoned.
At the European Union’s coming EU summit, debate will center on whether to go forward with a “mini” EU Constitutional Treaty. That debate is the result of the rejection of the draft treaty by French and Dutch voters in 2005. But those “no” votes have obscured the fact that 18 of the EU’s 27 member states have ratified the treaty. Luxembourg’s voters, for example, approved it by a 56.5% majority immediately after the Dutch and French no votes. Indeed, with two-thirds of member states and a majority of European citizens supporting the Treaty, it cannot simply be abandoned.