Chirac accepts defeat on EU vote

 

With votes counted in all of France and its overseas territories, the “no” camp had 54.87 percent, with only 45.13 percent voting “yes,” according to figures released by France’s Interior Ministry.

Chirac on Sunday acknowledged his country’s decision. In a national address, he said French voters had made their “sovereign decision, and I note it.”

Chirac said that he intended to meet with the European Council in Brussels on June 16 and “defend the position of our country.” He added: “France will continue to maintain its full positions respecting its commitments, and I will assure that.”

The defeat represents a humiliating one for Chirac, whose country — a founding member of the European Union — is the first to reject its charter. He becomes only the second French leader, after Gen. Charles de Gaulle, to lose a referendum since the founding of the French Fifth Republic in 1958.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said leaders “need to do more to explain the true dimension of what is at stake, and the nature of the solutions which only Europe can bring.”

“There will be time for that debate, of course, but I think one thing is sure: we should, together, try to put Europe back on track again,” Barroso said.

British Foreign Minister Jack Straw told reporters in London he was saddened by the result and called for a “period of reflection” among member states before deciding how to proceed.

“The result raises profound questions for all of us about the future direction of Europe; about the challenges to us from the rest of the world; about the ability of the European Union to respond to these challenges and to the demands of its citizens,” he said.