Chirac Ties France's Destiny to EU Vote

Chirac's prime-time speech marked the official end of the campaign ahead of Sunday's referendum and reflected the measure's high stakes and darkening prospects. Opinion polls predict that French voters will turn down the bid to speed the continent's political integration by strengthening institutions such as the European Union's presidency.

Polls suggest that many French citizens are disgruntled with their government and the EU and seem eager to punish both. Blue-collar voters in particular worry about France's stubborn unemployment and economic stagnation. For many, the constitution symbolizes an aloof, fast-growing EU bureaucracy, and the recent addition of 10 countries to the alliance threatens to endanger French living standards by weakening social programs, spurring immigration and driving jobs to low-wage countries.

Chirac urged voters not to hurt both France and Europe by using the referendum to express generalized displeasure.

"The rejection of the treaty will be seen by Europeans as a no to Europe," Chirac warned. "It will open a period of division, of doubt, of uncertainty

The blow would be especially hard because France has been one of the political and economic motors of the European Union for five decades. French leaders argue that a unified Europe augments their nation's global influence and builds a counterweight to the United States, China and other power blocs.

A "no" vote Sunday would by no means destroy the European Union, which would continue to function based on previous treaties. But it would stall, if not cripple, Europe's attempt to become a more unified political entity.

The constitution tries to streamline decision-making by establishing a two-year EU presidency rather than the current six-month rotation, creating the position of alliance foreign minister and allowing some initiatives to be approved by a majority of member states rather than the unanimous vote now often required.

"Europe can't advance without France," Franco Frattini, vice president of the EU's governing commission, acknowledged in an interview this week. "If there were a negative result, we would have all lost a great opportunity, not just the French. Because the conclusion will be that, for now, the constitution will not take effect."