Brits referendum over EU-Grondwet wellicht uitgesteld tot 2006 (en)

Denis MacShane, the UK minister for Europe, has said that a referendum on the Constitution in the UK is unlikely before 2006.

In an interview with German political magazine Der Spiegel, Mr MacShane says, "We will possibly have a general election in May or June 2005. In the second half of that year, Britain will also hold the EU presidency. It would be difficult to hold a referendum at the same time".

Furthermore, he believes that UK citizens will respond positively if the people were asked "Do you say Yes or No to Europe?"

But polls show that the British people are broadly in opposition to the Constitutional Treaty.

UK prime minister Tony Blair shocked political observers in April when he announced that the UK would hold a vote on the proposed treaty - a sharp U-turn from his previous position.

Doors opening for Solana

In the same interview, he hinted that London is opposed to some of the current heads of state being touted as the next President of the Commission, such as Belgium's Guy Verhofstadt or Luxembourg's Jean-Claude Juncker.

Mr MacShane said, "He has to be able to communicate a vision of Europe, he has to see himself not as Europe's king but as its servant, and he does not necessarily have to be a prime minister".

"A strong commissioner or a strong minister would probably be the best choice", he added.

This could mean the door is still open for the EU's foreign policy chief Javier Solana, whose name has also been mentioned recently in connection with Brussels' top job, or Commissioner Antonio Vitorino.

Giscard weighs in

Meanwhile, the President of the Convention that drafted the Constitutional Treaty has been dropping hints of his own, suggesting that the Constitution should be ratified Europe-wide.

Speaking at Europanova in front of a group of young Europeans, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing said that what mattered "was not the number of countries that have ratified it [the Constitution], but the number of European citizens".

Mr Giscard has previously called for a referendum to be held in France.