EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The French parliament will on Tuesday evening (20 May) discuss a constitutional reform plan that could eventually make it compulsory for France to hold a referendum on large countries wanting to join the EU. Under an amendment tabled by Jean-Luc Warsmann - a deputy from the centre-right UMP party - in the French parliament's Committee on Legislation last week, holding a referendum would become obligatory to approve the EU accession of any country whose population surpasses five percent of the EU's population - currently about 500 million people. "Considering the size the EU has reached today and the debates held in the past over enlargement, any additional enlargement demands particular attention", especially if it would considerably change the EU's internal balance, reads an explanatory summary for the tabled amendment. The provision which appears to be clearly targeted at EU candidate Turkey with its population of 70 million - was opposed by the French Socialist Party (PS).
