Europe's second shoe drops

With the Dutch following the French rejection of the proposed European constitution, the second (wooden) shoe has dropped on the project. Despite efforts by some leaders to postpone the inevitable and imagine re-voting in the future, this cumbersome constitution is dead.

Now what? Jacques Chirac does not seem to get it. Polls show that high enemployment and resentment at his high handed rule were among the top reasons the French voted for rejection. So what did he do? He appointed Dominique de Villepin as prime minister, a man who has never been elected. So much for democratic reforms. Some French and German politicians are talking about returning to a French-German core that will set its own pace within a Europe of multiple speeds. But with Chancellor Schroeder facing a tough election challenge in September, this is not propitious timing. Moreover, such a hard core is likely to be inward looking and unwilling to make the labor market reforms needed to restore high growth. It would also be seen as divisive in the new members from the East. It was their admission a year ago which profoundly transformed the European Union. A more positive approach would to be to move ahead within the existing framework, adding improvements (like a European foreign service) in a piecemeal form. The danger is that if Europe spends too much time gazing inward, it will dissipate the soft power of attraction that has proven so important in moving its important neighbors like Turkey and Ukraine. Europe's leaders meet in two weeks to discuss these options. Stay tuned.