LUXEMBOURG: Luxembourg will press ahead with a referendum on the EU constitution next month, despite last week's decision by EU leaders to lift the November 2006 deadline for ratifying the treaty.
Luxembourg's parliamentary leaders agreed unanimously yesterday to proceed with the July 10th vote, although opinion polls have shown a rise in support for a No vote and the prime minister, Jean-Claude Juncker, has promised to resign if the constitution is rejected.
An opinion poll published earlier this month showed opposition to the constitution had risen to 45 per cent from 41 per cent in May, while support declined to 55 per cent from 59 per cent. Private polling by Luxembourg's government is believed, however, to show that support for the treaty has risen again during the past fortnight.
Poland's prime minister, Marek Belka, said yesterday that his country could ratify the constitution in parliament rather than through a referendum, as was previously seen as more likely. Poland's parliament, which is due to decide later this month on how to ratify the constitution, currently has a majority in favour of the treaty.
Cyprus said yesterday that it will ratify the constitution in parliament next week, as planned. Belgium and Malta have already started the process of ratifying the constitution in parliament.
Nine EU member states have already ratified the constitution in parliament and Spain has approved it through a referendum.
Denmark, Portugal and the Czech Republic announced last week that they were postponing referendums planned for the autumn.
The Government will publish a White Paper on the constitution in September but no date has been set for a referendum.
EU Enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn said yesterday that the process of admitting new member states could continue despite the political crisis over the constitution and the EU budget. But in a speech to the European Policy Centre, a Brussels think-tank, Mr Rehn said that Turkey must make more progress on human rights before it starts membership talks on October 3rd. "Turkey is required to bring into force six pieces of legislation that greatly enhance human rights and to sign a protocol extending its existing association agreement with the EU to Cyprus before starting accession negotiations," he said.
The commission will adopt a negotiating framework for Turkey next week, which member states must approve unanimously before talks begin.
Mr Rehn rejected calls for a slowdown or a stop to EU enlargement following the French and Dutch referendums.
"It would be irresponsible to disrupt a valuable process that is helping to build stable and effective partners in the most unstable parts of Europe.
"If the EU goes wobbly about the western Balkans' long-term prospect of membership, its beneficial influence will be seriously eroded just when the region is entering a very difficult period of talks on Kosovo's future status," he said.
Justice and Home Affairs commissioner Franco Frattini told an Italian newspaper, however, that candidate countries would now be watched more closely.