Majority Of French Would Not Vote For Euro Today, But Don't Want To Switch Back To Franc Either

If the E.U. were to attempt a vote on the establishment of the euro currency today, almost two-thirds (64 percent) of French citizens would oppose it, the Telegraph reported on Monday.

The poll, done by the French Institute of Public Opinion (IFOP), found that if a referendum were held today, it would not pass in France. However, 65 percent are against abandoning the euro and moving back to the franc, France's currency before the switch. This contrasts with a similar opinion poll taken in Germany by TNS, a European polling firm, that found that 65 percent of Germans are in favor of switching back to their former currency, the deutschmark.

The IFOP poll also found the 76 percent of French citizens think the E.U. is "not acting efficiently enough" in containing the economic crisis, and 60 percent are in favor of "less European integration of economic and budgetary policies," the Telegraph said.

"The French seem to no longer believe in European integration, which had been sold to them as a shield to protect them against high winds," the Telegraph translated from the right-wing French paper Le Figaro, which published the poll.

When the vote was held in September 1992, 51 percent of French citizens voted forthe single currency union (Maastricht Treaty).