Finnish president ratifies troubled EU constitution

Finnish President Tarja Halonen has ratified the European constitution, making Finland – the current EU president – the 16th country to adopt the troubled charter.

Halonen’s formal signature was expected after politicians on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved ratification in a 125-39 vote in the 200-member Helsinki Parliament.

In May, neighbouring Estonia adopted the document.

Finland’s ratification was purely symbolic because all 25 EU members must approve the constitution for it to come into force.

At a March summit, EU leaders agreed to resume debating the charter’s future.