Ratification of the Constitution – state of play

EU member states are anxious to follow in the footsteps of
Lithuania and Hungary, which have already ratified the new European
Constitution, and also Italy, where the issue has already
cleared the parliament’s lower house.

On 12 January, when the European Parliament passed the
Constitution with a vast majority, fifteen of the Czech Republic’s
24 MEPs voted against. Against this background, the Czech Republic
is the last EU member state where a decision has yet to be made on
how to ratify the Constitution, ie whether to put it to a
referendum or to leave the issue to parliament to decide. 

In the national parliament, Prime Minister Stanislav Gross’
centre-left coalition only has a narrow majority, barely
enough to push the ratification through the legislature, or –
alternatively – to secure the required three-fifth support for a
constitutional change to pave the way for a referendum on the
ratification. Still, analysts say that the chances for
approval appear to be stronger in a referendum. 

However, according to a recent survey, some 86% of the Czechs
have no interest at all in the Constitution, and one in five
respondents have never even heard of it. The survey, conducted by
the Czech Social Research and Study Centre, found that 17% of those
asked had “limited” knowledge of the Constitution.

Meanwhile, the Dutch parliament has decided that the new
European Constitution will be ratified in a national referendum –
the first ever in the country. The scheduled date is May or June
2005.

In Britain, a political row is brewing after the publication of
the European Union Bill, which spells out the wording of the
question in the referendum on the Constitution. The country’s first
national referendum since 1975 is expected in the spring of 2006.
The bill itself is unlikely to be approved before the general
election anticipated in May this year.

On 25 January, Italy’s lower house approved the Constitution by
a wide majority. A Senate vote is still ahead.

To date, only Lithuania and Hungary have ratified the
Constitution.

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