From Deutsche Welle, Jacques Chirac starts it off, although without saying a lot:
"You have rejected the European constitution by a majority," he said. "It is your sovereign decision and I take note of it. Nevertheless, our ambitions and interests are profoundly linked to Europe. France, a founding member of the union, remains, naturally, within the union."
Others were more outspoken:
The French rejection of the EU constitution is "a defeat for France and a defeat for Europe," French Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said Sunday after a historic referendum won by opponents of the treaty.
Her colleague, Foreign Minister Michel Barnier called the result a "real disappointment," although said those who voted "yes" should remain proud of their vote.
"It is a test for our country because, and I've said this before the referendum, it's going to be tougher and it is going to be tougher for our country to defend its interests," he said.
He's not alone with that sentiment:
Polish foreign ministry official Pawel Swieboda called the decision a defeat for France.
"It means it is choosing the past and not the future and risks losing its natural role as a political leader in Europe," he said.
The Germans apparently feel like losers too.
German politicians from across the political spectrum described the "no" in Sunday's referendum on the EU constitution in France as a step backwards and a setback for Germany's attempts to unify Europe.
"This is a setback for Germany's aim to promote the unification of Europe," said Guido Westerwelle, the leader of the opposition Free Democratic Party (FDP)...
Klaus Wowereit, the mayor of Berlin and a member of Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's ruling Social Democrats, described the outcome as "a step backwards."...
According to Gerd Langguth, a political scientist at the University of Bonn in Germany, the vote in France was a vote against Jacques Chirac, but also against an EU that was going too fast for many.
"For a few years the EU will be in a crisis situation," he said. "There will be an attempt to build things up again, but France is one of the founding members of the European Union and so this "no" is a challenge that will not easily be overcome.
But Jacques Barrot, vice-president of the European Commission says the fat lady hasn't sung just yet:
"Once a project has been launched, you cannot abandon it."
The Latvian foreign minister concurs:
Artis Pabriks, foreign minister of another new member state, Latvia, said the vote meant EU politicians had to look closely at the signals voters were sending their way. She urged her own parliament to go ahead with their scheduled vote on Thursday and vote the constitution through.
"I am convinced that we should stick to the idea of the constitution," he said. "We can not turn back. It would be a disaster."
Ditto Gerhard Schröder:
Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, a key ally of Chirac and the other half of the Franco-German motor behind much of the EU integration drive, said the vote was "a setback" but did not mean the end of the road.
"The outcome of the referendum is a setback for the process of ratifying the constitution, but not its end," Schröder said.
But there is some joy in Mudville:
... there are voices among the opposition camp who are more than pleased with the outcome, including Phillipe de Villiers, who played a visible role in the "no" campaign in France.
"Europe has to be rebuilt. The constitution is no more," he said. "The people have said no massively. There is no more constitution."