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Hay & Menon: European Politics

France

France was an original member of the European Community, being a signatory state to the Treaty of Rome in 1957. For France, the creation of the EC would enable France to retain a degree of control over a reinvigorated (West) German economy, which was itself deemed necessary for European reconstruction. In particular, it was felt that if Germany became too strong and too autonomous it would again pose a security threat to France. Within the EC/EU, France, in partnership with Germany, has often been seen as the driving force for the process of European integration. There is an internal tension in the history of France's membership of the EC/EU. On the one hand, the French founding fathers of the EC, Jean Monnet and Robert Schuman, played a large role in the promotion and design of the EC/EU. On the other hand, President Charles de Gaulle created one of the biggest obstacles to European integration to date. Similarly, President Mitterand and Commission President Jacques Delors played a major role in promoting the single European market and the Euro, whilst the 2005 no-vote in the referendum on the European Constitution has considerably weakened expectations for future integration.