Solana: mogelijk Brits nee tegen EU-grondwet kan tot onduidelijkheid leiden over relatie met EU (en)

A rejection of the European Constitution by the UK would result in questions about its relations with other member states, the EU foreign policy chief has said.

"It will open up the question of the relationship with other members of the EU that have voted yes", said Javier Solana on Monday (3 January).

However, Mr Solana told a BBC news programme that a no vote would not exclude the UK from the "European family".

Mr Solana also said that the Constitution is important for making the EU more efficient and that it represented a "fundamental step" in making the EU better able to fulfil its international obligations.

The UK is expected to have a referendum on the Constitution in spring 2006 and is one of the countries most likely to reject the new treaty, which needs all 25 member states to ratify it before it can come into force.

So far, new member states Lithuania and Hungary have ratified the Constitution via their national parliaments.