MEPs back constitution but risky polls follow

By Martin Banks

Date: 13/01/05

The European Parliament endorsed the proposed EU constitution by an overwhelming majority on Wednesday (12 January).

After a marathon debate, MEPs voted by 500 to 137, with 40 abstentions, in favour of the text agreed by EU leaders last summer. The scale of the victory was applauded both by the president of the Parliament, Josep Borrell, and by the current head of the European Council, Luxembourg's Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker.

The constitution has to be ratified by all member states by parliamentary vote or public referenda before it can take effect. So far, the Lithuanian and Hungarian parliaments have given their approval for the constitution.

But Wednesday's vote in the Parliament effectively marked the opening of EU-wide campaigning for national referenda on the constitution. Spain will be the first of ten states to hold a referendum, on 20 February.

Opponents of the constitution immediately began a pan-European "No" campaign. They have agreed to pool expertise and tactics in the referenda to be held in Spain, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, the UK and maybe Poland. A letter, signed by 42 campaigners from 14 countries, demands that "public funds are not misused to give 'Yes' campaigners an advantage".

Before the Parliament's vote, a group of Eurosceptic MEPs held aloft placards declaring their opposition to the constitution with the slogan "Not in my name".

To support their characterisation of the treaty as a "monster" constitution, an assistant to the UK Conservative MEP Chris Heaton-Harris was deputed to parade around the Parliament building dressed as a giant wolf in a fluffy white costume, bearing the slogan "Devouring Democracy".

Timothy Kirkhope, leader of the UK Conservative group, whose members voted against the constitution, said it was "wrong" for Europe, because it centralised more powers and made the institutions more remote.

The UK Labour MEP Richard Corbett, who was co-author of Parliament's report on the constitution with centre-right Spaniard Íñigo Méndez de Vigo, said: "If it was rejected by only a small majority in one member state, then I do not see why that need be a major obstacle. But if it was rejected by a large majority then that member state would be very isolated and find itself in a very weak position."

If the constitution was rejected by several states, "it would be a real problem", he added.

Graham Watson, leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe group, said: "If one member state, say the UK, fails to ratify it and the 24 other members do so, that nation would have to ask itself if it wants to remain part of the European project."

If several member states rejected the treaty, "then Europe will be left facing a real dilemma", he said.

Opinion polls suggest that the UK, which is not expected to hold a referendum before 2006, is the most likely to reject the constitution, followed by the Czech Republic and Denmark.

The European Parliament endorsed the proposed EU constitution by an overwhelming majority on 12 January 2005. After a marathon debate, MEPs voted by 500 to 137, with 40 abstentions, in favour of the text agreed by EU leaders in mid-2004.