On 29 May 2005, 54.87% of French voters voted against the European Constitution. However, this French ‘Non’ appears to have been less against Europe in general and more against the perceived threat of an ‘ultra-liberal’ Europe, which would lead to the loss of jobs to foreign workers (both in France and abroad) from outsourcing, thereby creating a social dumping that would endanger the French social model. Since France views itself as having a strong commitment to ‘solidarity’, it still believes that it has a ‘French social model’ to defend. It thus frames its position towards European social initiatives with this preoccupation in mind.

The European social model versus the French model

From a comparative perspective, France can be characterised as having a Bismarckian or ‘conservative corporatist’ welfare system: most of the social rights are earned through work, by paying social contributions; most of the benefits are contributory (proportional to former wage); most of the financing is based on social contribution; and most of the benefits are managed within insurance funds, where the social partners have a seat (and a say). This system is complemented by various benefits aimed at the ‘socially excluded’ (such as revenu minimum d’insertion, RMI); France now has eight minimum incomes covering 10% of its population and an important set of family benefits, one of them being universal.

This system has experienced many difficulties for nearly 20 years, specifically social exclusion (due to high unemployment and the absence of social rights – especially to health – for those long-term unemployed), permanent financial deficit, high non-wage costs associated with the high level of social contribution and high difficulties in implementing changes, partly because of the system's mode of governance, which includes the representatives of ‘insiders’ such as wage earners’ trade unions.

Within France, French citizens do not associate their social protection system with any kind of conservatism or corporatism (in contrast to the comparative classification of the French welfare system), but generally relate their social model to the concept of solidarity and the Republic. They believe that their model has a universal aim (‘universal’ in France means equally covering all the French – which it does not – and becoming a model for all human beings).