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| Europe | ||
| France in the dock as bad boy of Europe | ||
| 2004-05-31 | ||
| For years France has been lamenting the decline of its language and influence in Europe. Now a damning report produced by a parliamentary committee says the country has only itself to blame if its "golden age" of power has waned. It claims France's refusal to implement European Union regulations, its "arrogant" reputation and the poor work record of French Euro-MPs - among the laziest in Europe - has damaged its credibility and undermined its authority. An EU founder member, France "put its imprint on the construction of Europe during a golden age" in which it enjoyed political, administrative and linguistic influence, the report says. The French report, The Presence and Influence of France in Europe: True and False, was produced by the National Assembly's all-party EU committee, headed by Jacques Floch, a Socialist party MP. While the decline in the use of the French language has been widely recognised - most of the 10 new member countries in the EU prefer English as a second language - it claims France has failed to measure up on other fronts. Mr Floch said Paris had to "better accept its European responsibilities". He added: "In the eyes of our partners, the accumulation of bad performances stains our credibility and therefore our power to push things forward. "For some years, France has stood out because of its refusal to abide by community rules. There is an image of French arrogance, which, rightly or wrongly The report cites poor attendance rates as a particular failing of the French. European Commission records show that since 1999, average rate of absenteeism among French Euro-MPs at the European Parliament in Strasbourg has been 20%. Only the Italians had a worse absentee rate, with 32%. Presence of French ministers at the Council of Europe in Brussels was equally dismal, with 18.9% failing to attend, second only to Belgium on 24%. Last year, Nicolas Sarkozy, the then interior minister, attended just one out of six meetings. Even when they do turn up, the French are considerably less productive than their European partners, according to the commission. Between 1999 and 2003, Britain's 87 Euro-MPs drew up 238 reports; the same number of French members produced only 116.
Last month during a press conference on Europe, President Jacques Chirac admitted that the weight and influence of France at the heart of the EU was "not what it should be". Mr Floch said the government was partly to blame, as well as widespread ignorance about Europe. "European affairs don't appear to be a priority on the political agenda - Europe is very badly understood by the people."
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| Posted by:Steve White |
| #11 Sure, let them immigrate. To Quebec. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2004-05-31 3:38:25 PM |
| #10 Let them immigrate??? Merde! I was thinking of asking France to take all of our Dimocrats, Libs, Lefties, peaceniks, Bush-haters, appeasement monkeys and other assorted whiners when sKerry loses the election! What about my movement to attach San Francisco to the French coast? Wah! Wah! |
| Posted by: Jen 2004-05-31 12:35:07 PM |
| #9 Don't forget Sabine,Rafe. Sabine,as my neighboor=mmmm,gooood! |
| Posted by: Raptor 2004-05-31 10:17:32 AM |
| #8 "Here's the question. When war breaks out in France between the locals and the Muslims, do we let the French immigrate to the US, bringing their arrogance, socialist politics, antisemitism and Eurodecadence with them?" You put them in resettlement camps around universities, who could tell the difference? |
| Posted by: Don 2004-05-31 8:57:07 AM |
| #7 Yeah but they do show up when it counts (unfortunately): at the UNSC meetings. Hmmmmm... How do the Froggie diplos get to the UNSC meetings? Be a real shame if they were delayed too long en route... Missed the vote, darn, so sorry, abject appy-ollie-lodgies, y'know... |
| Posted by: mojo 2004-05-31 3:20:43 AM |
| #6 do we let the French immigrate to the US...Or do we just close the door As long as we get JFM outta there.... |
| Posted by: Rafael 2004-05-31 2:36:01 AM |
| #5 What a confusing article. How can anyone call attending meetings and writing reports productive? In any case, it hardly matters if the French are lazy now. In ten years the Islamists will have paralyzed the country. Here's the question. When war breaks out in France between the locals and the Muslims, do we let the French immigrate to the US, bringing their arrogance, socialist politics, antisemitism and Eurodecadence with them? Or do we just close the door and let them stew in the juices of their own making? |
| Posted by: MrGrumpyDrawers 2004-05-31 2:28:24 AM |
| #4 This might actually be a blessing. Yeah but they do show up when it counts (unfortunately): at the UNSC meetings. |
| Posted by: Rafael 2004-05-31 2:25:07 AM |
| #3 most of the 10 new member countries in the EU prefer English as a second language To wax ironic for a moment, English is rapidly becoming the globe's lingua franca. Considering that (IIRC) some 75% of all computer data is stored in English, 90% of all financial records are in English and English is the mandatory language of all air traffic controllers, I'd say the French are SOL. [John Cleese] Of course I'm French! Why do you think I have this outraaageous accent, you silly king? [/John Cleese] |
| Posted by: Zenster 2004-05-31 1:59:43 AM |
| #2 The words: dirty, stinky, arrogant, coward, stupid, liar... When looked up in the dictionary all have a picture of a Frenchman next to it. |
| Posted by: Long Hair Republican 2004-05-31 1:56:25 AM |
| #1 But they have great take-out! |
| Posted by: Lucky 2004-05-31 1:27:28 AM |