EU official: Globalization caused no vote

BERLIN, June 14 (UPI) -- A top EU official blamed globalization for recent electoral defeats of the proposed EU constitution.

Guenter Verheugen, European Commission vice president and Germany's industry commissioner, said French and Dutch voters did not reject the constitution because they feared expansion of the union, the EU Observer reported Tuesday.

Rather, it is globalization that produced the heavy negative vote, he said.

"For me (globalization) is the most important reason for the current crisis", Verheugen told the Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper.

The fundamental problem of globalization is that it creates new jobs -- but not necessarily where old jobs have disappeared.

"In reality, for a long time it has been about preservation of the European social model in the storms of globalization," he said.