Transparency EUROPA : French and Dutch NO to the TCE are NOT OFFICIAL Investigation

22.07.2005 | Mis à jour le 31.05.2006 | Arsène RICHARD
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What an incredibly bad surprise to find on the EU websites that the French and Dutch No vote had to be "officialy confirmed"...

Untill I let them know that the following article was online, I would not see any change on their page, though I had checked many times after my first single email request to "Europa direct".

But as soon as I warned them that this following article was pointing directly to their page, so obviously wrong, the correction was made. I could not beleive such a little website like mine would be so powerful indeed !

On Europa’s great interactive map (fr) to follow the ratifications process of the TCE, one can notice that the French and Dutch results of their referendum are awaiting "to be officialy confirmed" or "to be confirmed later" [1].

I am wondering, why such a disrespectful denial for the countries which said NO ?

And it is not just a question of referendum, because the Spanish results do not make any doubt.

So on July 8th 2005, I submitted this following contribution, "from an anonymous french citizen", on their online "m@ilbox form" :

Subject : French official results

-  The French referendum id binding. FRENCH Constitution Art.2 and 3.

-  The OFFICIAL results (Constitution art.60) have been released by the Constitutional Council on the 1st of June.

-  Your interactive map webpage has been updated on the 4th of July, as long as your informations are right :

  • http://europa.eu.int/constitution/ratification_en.htm
  • http://europa.eu.int/constitution/ratification_fr.htm
  • Confer : "Referendum 29 May 2005 negative (NO : 54,8% ; turn out : 70%) (to be officialy confirmed)"

-  THEN, please update the informations about France’s ratification, either :

  • by supressing the mention "(to be officialy confirmed)", or
  • by explaining what you mean (TCE Art.IV-443-4 p.197) [2].

-  Thank you.

The first answer you ever get from Europa direct is :

EUROPA > European Commission > EUROPE DIRECT > M@ilbox Form

« Thank you for your message. Please note that once your enquiry is transmitted to the EUROPE DIRECT service, you will receive a receipt acknowledgement via e-mail containing the reference number of your message. »

So then, 2 days later, the following...

Receipt acknowledgement from EUROPE DIRECT

Their robots told me in 3 languages that their will answer a.s.a.p., le plus vite possible : « * This is an automated message. Please do not reply. *

Reference Number : 2371558 (...) »

And then, on July 12th...

Objet : Reply from EUROPE DIRECT

« Date : Tue, 12 Jul 2005 15:09:20 UT

De : mail@europe-direct.cec.eu.int

À : contactmonsieur-###@yahoo.fr

CC : Johanna.SCHMIDT@cec.eu.int

Reference Number : 2371558

Dear Sir,

Thank you for contacting EUROPE DIRECT, the general information service of the European Commission. We would like to inform you that we have forwarded your message to the relevant service managing the Constitution website at the Taskforce Future of Europe.

Sincerely, EUROPE DIRECT »

And now what ? The interactive map has been updated since then on the 7th of July, and lately on the 11th of July, after the referendum in the Luxembourg, and nothing had chaned

July 14th, French National day... and VICTORY ? day of recognition by the EU of the French and Dutch NO vote !

[1] each of these quotations was directly pointing to their website, right on the spot for France and the Netherlands. See the "Victory ?" article to find a saved version of the page as it was on the 4th of July

[2] See the "Victory ?" article to know why the French and Dutch ’no’ may still be ignored by the EU

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