Finse premier: referendum over Grondwet overbodig (en)

Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen has ruled out a referendum in his country on the new EU Constitution.

Speaking on Sunday (15 August) on Finnish Radio, Mr Vanhanen said the European Union would not change so much under the new Constitution that a referendum would be needed.

Were Finland to join the military alliance NATO, however, the people would have to be consulted, he added.

A decision by the Finnish Parliament would be enough, according to Mr Vanhanen, who expressed the hope that the Finnish people would be confident in leaving the decision to their elected representatives.

Prominent Finnish politicians such as Minister of Trade and Industry Mauri Pekkarinen have spoken out in favour of a referendum while Justice Minister Johannes Koskinen last week suggested a referendum should be held together with the next Finnish presidential elections in 2006.

But the prime minister said his government was unanimous in not allowing a referendum.

After 18 months of negotiations in the European Convention followed by one year's tough political battling among the EU governments, the new Constitution was finally agreed at an EU summit in Brussels in June.

It will be signed on 29 October at a ceremony in Rome and must be ratified in all 25 EU member states - by referendum or by vote in the national parliaments - before it can enter into force.

Altogether, there are ten EU member states intending to hold polls before ratifying the new EU Constitution.

These are Denmark, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Spain, Portugal and the UK.