Havel says Czechs must ratify EU constitution

Former President Vaclav Havel today warned Czechs that failure to ratify the European Union constitution would result in losing their influence over the process of European integration.

“Should one or two countries reject the constitution, they will be excluded from the integration process that would continue anyway,” Havel said in an interview with Czech Television. “They will have no influence on the process.”

EU leaders signed the charter in October in Rome, following 28 months of acrimonious debate between governments of the 25 member states.

All EU member countries must now ratify the constitution for it to come into force.

It was not yet clear whether the document will be ratified by the Czech parliament or by a referendum in the Czech Republic, which joined the EU on May 1 along with nine other mostly ex-communist nations.

While the government indicated a referendum could be held together with parliamentary elections in spring 2006, Havel has repeatedly said he is against a referendum.

“The constitution is a very complicated text … that doesn’t change much in the European Union,” Havel said. “And we already said our yes in the referendum on membership in the EU.”

The EU constitution is opposed by the strongest opposition force, the Civic Democratic Party, and by President Vaclav Klaus who has repeatedly warned that the document is threatening democracy in Europe.