George Bush famously remarked that the trouble with the French was that they didn't even have a word for entrepreneur. Well, President Sarkozy made sure he included it in his speech to the US Congress on November 7 when he deployed his charm to win over a sceptical American audience.

Geoffrey Van Orden MEP

George Bush famously remarked that the trouble with the French was that they didn't even have a word for entrepreneur. Well, President Sarkozy made sure he included it in his speech to the US Congress on November 7 when he deployed his charm to win over a sceptical American audience. He pressed all the right buttons - historic bonds; America as the land of freedom and opportunity; the common fight against terrorism; "France will remain in Afghanistan as long as it takes"; "Iran with nuclear weapons is unacceptable". Then, once he had Congress in his hands, he slipped in his own agenda. This included an advert for the EU and his call for reactivating "the construction of its military capabilities". "NATO can't be everywhere", he said, "the EU must be able to act". Dangerous stuff.

For over 40 years, France has had a blind spot in regard to NATO. It does not see that 24 of its 26 members are European. France is the driving force behind the EU impulse for a separate defence capability. In Washington, Sarkozy made a tantalising offer: "The more successful we are in the establishment of a European Defence, the more France will be resolved to resume its full role in NATO". This proposal of such a trade-off would be suspicious enough if we didn't now have our own Foreign Secretary trying to make the case for a military role for the EU.

Switch now to the European Parliament last Tuesday (November 13). There we had Sarkozy appealing to a different audience. Present company excepted, he wooed his largely federalist audience bizarrely suggesting that reason the French people voted 'no' to the previous EU Constitution was, "because they wanted more Europe". He described the revived Constitution - what he referred to as a Simplified Treaty - as "a political triumph for Europe". In an unguarded moment during a previous closed meeting with leaders of the political groups in the Parliament, he said that it would be a disaster if referendums were held on the Constitution. "It would be rejected, not just in Britain and France but across Europe." He confessed that there was "a cleavage between people and governments". Not surprisingly perhaps, he did not include such revealing insights in his open address to the Parliament.

I draw a number of conclusions from this. There is a political class in continental Europe which is determined to impose its will on our citizens regardless of their views. Sarkozy intends to dominate the discussions on the future of Europe - he knows what he wants while all around are wandering aimlessly. Conservatives are making the case for a very different Europe to the one Sarko has in mind. We must also ensure that it is Britain's voice, not that of Paris or Brussels, that is heard in Washington. If Governments do not listen to their people - on great issues such as the Constitution, immigration, etc. - then democracy itself is imperilled.

I campaign hard on these issues to ensure that our citizens can make their views heard. That is why I set up a petition and, along with MPs and Parliamentary Candidates across the East of England, I have now sponsored a postcard campaign calling for a referendum on the EU Constitution. If you would like to join in the effort, then please do get in touch.

Geoffrey Van Orden is Conservative MEP for the East of England focusing on Essex and Suffolk. He can be contacted by email gvanorden@europarl.eu.int or at 88 Rectory Lane, Chelmsford CM1 1RF.