Politieke commentaren na referendumuitslag (en)

Prime minister Jean-Claude Juncker is still the political leader of his country. And the future of the EU constitution remains uncertain. Following the vote on the Constitution on Sunday, not much has really changed.

The draft constitution was supported by 56.52 percent in Sunday's poll, but 43.48 percent voted against the charter in one of Europe's most EU positive member states.

In a country that receives more EU money per capita than any other, the no's gains up to the vote were surprising, though this meant little following the final result.

"I am afraid that Luxembourg really changes nothing. As long as people claim that the constitution is alive they discredit the European political classes", said the director of the Centre for European Reform Charles Grant, according to the Guardian.

"People can see that the emperor is wearing no clothes, so if you say the emperor is wearing clothes you look ridiculous", he added.

Risen from the dead

But federalist European leaders insisted that the EU constitution is alive and well.

"This result shows that, despite the setbacks in France and the Netherlands, the spirit of the European Constitution continues to be strong", European People's Party president Wilfried Martens said in a comment.

European Commission president Jose-Manuel Barroso was also positive on the outcome.

"This is a strong signal, because it means that a majority of member states thinks that the constitutional treaty corresponds to their expectations, by opening the way for a more democratic, more transparent, more effective, and stronger Europe", he said.

Of the 118 election districts in Luxembourg, nine had a majority against the constitution. In some areas the support was as low as 32 percent, while in the city-centre of Luxembourg the constitution was backed by as many as 61.5 percent.

Including Luxembourg, 13 of the EU's 25 members have approved the constitution and Jean-Claude Junker used the opportunity to declare the charter alive.

"The message that has come out and that is addressed to Europe and the world is that the constitution is not dead after the votes in France and the Netherlands", Mr Juncker said on Luxembourg television.

Jon Worth, president of The Young European Federalists (JEF-Europe) urged political leaders not to waste time.

"The heads of state have committed themselves to a period of reflection about the constitution. We urge them to make that a period of active engagement with citizens, not a period to put the constitution in the political deep freeze", he said.

Parliament to inititate report

The European Parliament's political leaders decided last week that a so-called own initiative report on the constitution should be put forward.

The report aims at finding a way out of the current constitutional stalemate.

The first political battle will be to appoint two MEPs to chair the work, with eurosceptics demanding to be included in the project.

"Luxembourg's popular prime minister got, as expected, a vote of confidence, but this will not revive the constitution", said Danish eurosceptic MEP Jens-Peter Bonde in an early reaction to the Luxembourg vote.

He urged pro and anti-constitution representatives to get together and formulate simpler rules for future European integration, suggested a directly-elected convention to formulate a new proposal and for citizens to be consulted in Europe-wide referendums all held on the same day.

So far two countries, Spain and Luxembourg, approved the constitution by referendum while two countries, the Netherlands and France rejected it.

Eleven countries have so far ratified the constitution through their respective national parliaments.

Other member states that had planned to hold referendums - including the UK, Denmark, Portugal, Poland and Ireland - shelved their plans after the decision of the European summit in June to put the ratification process on ice.

The Czech republic, undecided until then, also announced it would not hold a referendum.

All 25 EU member must ratify the constitution to bring it into force.

The EU heads of state will return to the matter when they meet next June under the Austrian presidency.