NCR: European union not a foregone conclusion

NCR: European union not a foregone conclusion

"European union not a foregone conclusion
Public weighs the benefits and costs of integration
By MARC MAZGON-FERNANDES
Brussels, Belgium
The French and Dutch rejections of the European Constitution has opened a serious crisis within the European Union. European leaders meeting in Brussels June 16 and 17 will be struggling to identify the causes of this rejection, and the actions they take will determine if the union bounces back -- as it has so often in the past -- or if European integration freezes in place for years to come.
The European Union has suffered many setbacks in its 50-year march to integration. The most marked setback was France's rejection of the European Defense Community back in 1954 because it feared the rearmament of Germany."