French 'non' could bring buying opportunities

On Sunday, the French vote in a referendum on the new European Constitution. Many of them say they’re going to vote ‘non.’ What might this mean for the markets?

What is the EU Constitution? A 200-page document intended to create a workable framework for reforming and running the EU in light of its enlargement to 25 member states and future further expansion. The Constitutional Treaty defines the competences' of the EU - the division of powers between the various EU institutions and the member states - and incorporates a Charter of Fundamental Rights. In the UK, it has been described by the Government as a "tidying up exercise", but abroad it is viewed very differently. Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt says the EU Constitution will give the EU "all the instruments of a federal state", and Germany's Europe Minister has called the Constitution "the birth certificate of a United States of Europe".

Will France vote no?

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