FRENCH POLITICS, SOCIETY AND CULTURE The French Parliament and the European Union Backbenchers Blues Olivier Rozenberg French Politics, Society and Culture Series Editor Jocelyn Evans School of Politics & International Studies University of Leeds Leeds, UK This series examines all aspects of French politics, society and culture. In so doing it focuses on the changing nature of the French system as well as the established patterns of political, social and cultural life. Contributors to the series are encouraged to present new and innovative arguments so that the informed reader can learn and understand more about one of the most beguiling and compelling of European countries. More information about this series at http://www.palgrave.com/gp/series/14991 Olivier Rozenberg The French Parliament and the European Union Backbenchers Blues Olivier Rozenberg Centre for European Studies and Comparative Politics Sciences Po Paris, France Original French edition published by Presses de Sciences Po, Paris, 2018 French Politics, Society and Culture ISBN 978-3-030-19790-2 ISBN 978-3-030-19791-9 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19791-9 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the ­publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Cover illustration: AG photographe / Getty Images This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland The book is dedicated to Denise and Roger, and Solange and Hersz, my grand-parents. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This book was published in 2018 in French under the title Les députés français et l’Europe. Tristes hémicycles? by the Presses de Sciences Po in Paris. It was translated from French by Ray Godfrey, Richard Jemmet, Katharine Throssell and Julia Zelman. Thanks to them and especially to Julia, who coordinated it all. I am grateful for all members of parliaments, clerks and civil servants who gave me their time and their words in interviews. The book would not have been published without the initial support of Professor Richard Balme, the decisive support of David Por and Yves Surel, the final support of Renaud Dehousse and Florence Haegel … and the continuous support of Emilie. Merci à eux. Thanks also to my OPAL colleagues, Claudia Hefftler et al., “al.” being, among others, Katrin Auel, Christine Neuhold, Julie Smith, Angela Tacea, Anja Thomas and Wolfgang Wessels. vii CONTENTS 1 Introduction 1 2 Institutional Adaptation: A Case of trompe-l’oeil? 9 3 The Enrolment of National Parliamentarians 59 4 The Constituency Member: Dilettante, Lobbyist or Mediator 101 5 The Defender of Land and Tradition: The Activism of the Righter of Wrongs 133 6 The Sovereigntist: An Ephemeral Role 165 7 The Career Politician: The Europeanisation of Political Outsiders 193 ix x CONTENTS 8 The European Specialist in Search of a Role 223 9 Conclusion 263 Appendix: List of Interviews Held with Political Leaders 277 Index 283 ABBREVIaTIONS COM Communist group in the National Assembly (1962–2002) CPNT Hunting, Fish, Nature and Traditions party (1989–) DL Liberal Democracy (right-wing party) (1997–2002) EP European Parliament EU European Union FN National Front (radical right party) (1972–2018) LR Republican party (right-wing party) (2015–) MDC Movement for Citizens (Eurosceptic party) (1993–2003) MEP Member of the European Parliament MoDem Democrat Movement (centrist party) (2007–) MP Member of Parliament MPF Movement for France (Eurosceptic party) (1994–) PC Communist Party (1920–) PS Socialist Party (1969–) RCV Group communist, green and radical in the National Assembly (1997–2002) RPF Rally for France and the Independence of Europe (Eurosceptic party) (1999–) RPR Rally for the Republic (right-wing party) (1976–2002) SOC Socialist group in the National Assembly (1978–2007) UDF Union for French Democracy (right-wing party) (1978–2007) UDI Union of Democrats and Independents (right-wing party) (2012–) UMP Union for a Popular Movement (2002–2015) xi LIST OF FIGURES Fig. 2.1 Meetings of the Delegation to the EU (1979–2008) then European Affairs Committee (2008–2017) of the National Assembly 24 Fig. 2.2 Length of meetings of the European Affairs Delegation/ Committee of the National Assembly (hours) 25 Fig. 2.3 Hearings conducted by the European Affairs Delegation/ Committee of the National Assembly 26 Fig. 2.4 European Affairs Delegation/Committee of the National Assembly reports and resolution proposals 26 Fig. 2.5 The Implementation of Article 88-4 of the Constitution 27 Fig. 2.6 European parliamentary chambers ranked by prerogatives and activity level in European matters (2010–2012) 31 Fig. 3.1 French opinion on EU membership (%) 63 Fig. 3.2 Support in the National Assembly to different EU or European treaties 64 Fig. 3.3 Parliamentary base for French government (percent of Assembly seats) 78 Fig. 3.4 Resolutions adopted on the floor by the National Assembly 79 Fig. 6.1 RPR (subsequently UMP) opponents to the European treaties 176 Fig. 7.1 Change in Bayrou’s approval ratings between June 2004 and June 2005 (%) 218 xiii LIST OF TaBLES & INSERTS Tables Table 2.1 European prerogatives and activities in different parliamentary chambers, per-year averages from 2010–2012 30 Table 3.1 Various groups’ support in France for the principle of a federal Europe (2010–2011 in %) 65 Table 4.1 Title of texts distributed to members of the Delegation during the meeting on 19 March 2003 108 Table 4.2 Reports with a local dimension presented by the Delegation for the EU (1997–2002) 109 Table 4.3 Actors in contact with Alain Marleix (2002) 121 Table 4.4 Actors in contact with Laurence Dumont (2001) 124 Table 5.1 Electoral results for the CPNT in European elections 136 Table 5.2 Vote on the final reading of the hunting bill on 28 June 2008 by parliamentary group 140 Table 5.3 The electoral situations of the Socialist MPs who voted against the party line on the hunting law of 26 July 2000 149 Table 5.4 Votes on the hunting law of 26 July 2000 of Socialist MPs in constituencies where hunters obtained more than 5% in the first round of the legislative elections in 2002 150 Table 6.1 Voting by anti-Maastricht MPs on later European treaties or constitutional revisions 180 Table 7.1 The positioning of Socialist MPs regarding the constitutional treaty and the constitutional revision prior to its ratification 213 Table 9.1 Europeanisation of French Parliamentary roles (1992–2017) 265 Table 9.2 Factors in Europeanisation of French MPs (1992–2017) 267 xv xvi List of Tables & Inserts Table 9.3 Types of psychological gratification associated with European involvement (1992–2017) 269 Table 9.4 Regimes of French national MPs activities in European matters (1992–2017) 271 Inserts Insert 2.1 Excerpts of interviews with non-specialised MPs in European Affairs relating to the oversight of European questions by the National Assembly 35 Insert 2.2 Excerpts of interviews with MP members of the Delegation to the EU about the National Assembly’s oversight of European questions 45 Insert 5.1 Extracts of comments by MPs during the reading of the law of 3 July 1998 152 CHAPTER 1 Introduction On 9 January 2007, the National Assembly resumed deliberations follow- ing the winter break. Its Speaker, the Gaullist Jean-Louis Debré, opened the question time with this pronouncement: My dear colleagues, by now you have certainly not failed to notice the pres- ence of the national flag in the Chamber. In response to a wish unanimously expressed by the National Assembly, I insisted upon putting an end to an anomaly that, astonishingly, had persisted under each Republic: the absence of a Republican national symbol in the Chamber. Today, thanks to you, this symbol has been restored.1 The MPs applauded. During the next day’s session, as on every first Wednesday of the month, the first four questions were dedicated to European topics. The Minister for European Affairs, Catherine Colonna, concluded her response to a question by alluding to the previous day’s decision: ‘Allow me to express my wish, since it’s the season for it, that the day will come when the European flag is present beside the French flag in this Chamber. After all, we have been part of Europe for the past fifty years’.2 Speaker Debré interrupted: ‘That decision would fall under the National Assembly’s responsibility’. A few minutes later, another inci- dent occurred: © The Author(s) 2020 1 O. Rozenberg, The French Parliament and the European Union, French Politics, Society and Culture, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19791-9_1 2 O.