Weg vrij voor vroeg Frans referendum over Grondwet (en)

Changes to the French Constitution to allow the ratification of the European Constitution are set to be agreed by March or April, enabling a referendum on the issue before July.

According to French daily Le Figaro, the reforms will be placed before the assemblée nationale on 25 January and are expected to be finally cleared "in March or April".

This would pave the way for a referendum to take place in June. Interior Minister Dominique de Villepin is thought to favour a vote in the first fortnight in June, preceding the summer holidays and, importantly, the likely beginning of accession talks with Turkey.

Technical difficulties remain, however. French authorities need to send "electoral material" to 42 million voters. This material will be a copy of the EU Constitution and the question to be put to the people, according to Le Figaro.

And the earliest date these documents can be prepared and sent is 15 May, ruling out a vote on Europe Day (9 May).

The vote will cost nearly 75 million euro, according to Marc le Fur, budget rapporteur in the Interior Ministry. The printing and delivery of the material alone will cost 40 million.