EU leaders urge member states to pursue ratification despite No votes

EU LEADERS urged member states to pursue efforts to ratify the EU constitution yesterday despite Dutch voters following the French in rejecting the charter.

"We want the other member states to have the opportunity to tackle the same debate. We feel the ratification process should continue,” Jean-Claude Juncker, prime minister of EU president Luxembourg, told a news conference.

Mr Juncker said he would make proposals on what to do next at a regular EU summit scheduled for June 16-17 in Brussels.

European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso, standing next to Mr Juncker, repeated his call for member states not to pre-empt that summit with “unilateral decisions” on the charter before then.

He did not single out any country, but Britain faces a decision next week on whether to suspend or go ahead with enabling legislation to hold a referendum. The Czech Republic said that, after the French vote, it would seek an extension of the November 2006 deadline for ratification. Nine member states have already ratified the treaty, with 14 still to go.

French President Jacques Chirac last night urged other EU member states to continue the process of ratifying the constitution.

“While 11 countries have already come to a decision, it is the responsibility of all the other member states of the union to have their say,” Mr Chirac’s office said in a statement.

“This new negative result in a founder country of the union attached to European construction reveals strong expectations, questions and concerns about the development of the European project.”

“It is advisable to take the necessary time to analyse the consequences for the union of the votes that have taken place in France and the Netherlands,” said Mr Chirac. “This reflection should begin during the European Council of June 16 and 17.”