EP wil ondertekening Europese Grondwet in Madrid, als eerbetoon aan slachtoffers (en)

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The European Parliament on Thursday (1 April) voted in favour of having a formal signature of the European Constitution in Madrid as a way of showing solidarity for the victims of last month's terror attack.

The resolution was passed with 197 votes in favour and 173 against but a final decision on the matter lies with the EU governments.

Where a European Union Treaty is signed carries a lot of symbolic value. It is one of the reasons why Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi pushed so hard for the Constitution negotiations to be finished within his EU Presidency in the second half of last year.

It would have resulted in a new Treaty of Rome to replace the original Treaty of Rome from 1957.

However, with the collapse of negotiations in December, the question once again became an open one.

All treaties go to Rome

Now EU leaders have committed themselves to signing the Treaty by 18 June meaning that it could result in a Treaty of Dublin.

Last week Irish prime minister and current head of the EU was quite nonchalant about what moniker it could go under.

"I don't care what it is called. As far as I am concerned it can be the Romano Prodi Treaty".

On Wednesday (31 March), however, he was more circumspect about the question of where the Treaty will be signed insisting that it "has to be completed first".

Mr Ahern did mention another Irish idea which is to have a rotating signing ceremony where each of the 25 EU governments would stage it in their own country.

But some say Ireland would not be averse to having a Treaty of Dublin having helped prepared the groundwork on two treaties in previous years only to see them be called Treaty of Maastricht and then Treaty of Amsterdam.

In any case, where ever it is signed, and how ever it is named, it will be housed in Rome where all original and signed copies of EU treaties are kept.