Frenchism Part 2

France not only struggles to maintain its identity from within its borders, but suffers under external pressures as well. I've already talked about the onslaught of American culture - on the radio, on TV, in what they eat and what they wear. Even Europe itself no longer provides a safe haven, becoming instead one of the agents provocateurs. The implementation of a universal monetary unit throughout the European Union is just one of the many signs. Francs, deutschemarks and lira have all been replaced by the euro - with England being one of the last remaining holdouts (although it's expected that even the pound will be faded out within the next five years). To their credit, each country has a unique design for the coins - much like our own State quarters. All the buildings shown on the bills, however, are nonexistent...an attempt to represent Europe without really showing it. There is also a freedom of movement act that allows citizens of the EU to travel with ease from country to country.
These measures are understandable to an extent; they make life a little more convenient without really inhibiting individual national identities (although if they start talking about having a universal language as well...) The level of concern over disappearing individualism has been raised lately, however, with the proposal by the European Union to implement a European Constitution. Across the continent countries are voting on whether or not to adopt this document. So far the results have been a unanimous yes, but are the people really sure what they're voting on? A discussion with my pub students revealed a few uncertainties. It seems that some people are blindly putting their faith in their leaders without really understanding. Only one of my students said that she intended to read the document before the vote in May. The others were not sure what it contained but agreed that they were going to vote in favor of the Constitution. National polls have the country fairly evenly split between the "yesses" and the "nos."
What does the Constitution do that's causing so much friction? For starters, it institutes a European set of laws that replaces those of the individual countries involved. Laws that have been on the books for centuries, that have served the unique needs of the individual countries will now be superceded by "European Law." Perhaps more scary is the fact that, with the Constitution in place, the European Union will be able to sign treaties as a representative of all of the countries involved. Instead of 20 (or so) signatures from 20 (or so) countries acknowledging that they agree, there will be just one. One signature speaking for the many. So if France happens to disagree with the policy, tough luck. The European Union says "ok" so France has no choice but to go along with it. How then can one retain a unique cultural identity within a conglomeration that strips away the symbols and freedoms that go along with being part of that culture?