Frans parlement verdeeld over uitbreiding EU (en)

After a long debate on enlargement on Tuesday, the French Parliament will vote today, 26 November, on the enlargement treaties - but some French MPs have decided not to take part in the vote.

Initially, the four political parties represented in L'Assemblée Nationale - the Socialists, the government party Union pour une Majorité Présidentiele (UMP), L'Union Démocratique Française (UDF) and the Communists - all spoke in favour of the ratification.

Only the left wing of the Socialist Party indicated from the beginning that it would abstain during the vote. For these MPs, the EU is not yet ready to enlarge, as its institutions have not been sufficiently reformed.

Now, the French Communist Party has also announced that it will not participate in the vote as they protest against the fact that the text of the future EU Constitution is not yet known and that no referendum has been scheduled for its adoption.

The souveranists Mouvement pour la France (MPF) also criticise the EU and the idea of enlargement.

French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, present Tuesday in the enlargement debates in the French Parliament, tried to rally support among MPs by hi-lighting the benefits of enlargement.

He said that the newcomers will not threaten employment because France's productivity is higher - nor will they harm the social system.

"We don't have to be afraid about those who want to have standards of life close to ours", he explained.

France is the third EU country to ratify the enlargement, after Denmark and Germany.

The future member states have all ratified the enlargement by referenda, except for Cyprus where a parliamentary ratification was issued.