“We Must Not Let Our Greatness Flicker”

For historians, May 29th and June 1st, 2005, dates of the French and Dutch “no”, will be crucial and symbolic moments to Europe. They mark the symbolic end of an era that began after the Second World War, a period characterized by reverence to the European Union, associated with peace, prosperity and freedom. Today, only masochism could lead us to continue the ratification process. In fact, even when French and Dutch alike voted “no” for internal reasons and even when the extreme right and left are not a consistent majority, ignoring this rejection would deprive the European cause of legitimacy. We can’t either hold on to old recipes such as the French-German axis.
A truce is imperative. However, this doesn’t mean inactivity. Work must be done in four different directions to:
– Save the European Union foreign policy from disaster. The United States, Russia and China should not believe that the EU is an old-fashioned delegate. It is necessary to keep Javier Solana in his post.
– Go on with the reform process of the too rigid national economies.
– Continue to grow with courage and determination.
– Take on a commitment to the budget.
Just as happened after the rejection of the CED in 1954, gain experience from error so as to start again in a better manner.