In France
In France
In France, the French Union Assembly approved the Treaties by 100 votes to 43 on 25 June 1957, and the National Assembly then scrutinised the Treaties on 2–6 and 9 July. The debates essentially focused on two issues: how would the French economy adapt to the new competition created by the common market, and were the guarantees previously demanded by MPs actually enshrined in the Treaties? To everyone’s surprise, however, the tone of the discussions was relatively apathetic, and on 9 July, the National Assembly ratified the EEC Treaty by 342 votes to 234 and the Euratom Treaty by 332 votes to 240. On 24 July, the Council of the Republic adopted both Treaties by 219 votes to 68. The results showed just how far public opinion had shifted since the National Assembly’s rejection, three years earlier, of the Treaty establishing the European Defence Community (EDC).