Estonia sends EU constitution for ratification
The Estonian government sent the new European Union constitution to parliament for ratification Thursday, Prime Minister Andrus Ansip told journalists.
The decision draws a line under discussions in Estonia about whether the constitution should be ratified in parliament or put to a nationwide referendum.
"The government today sent the EU constitutional treaty to parliament," Ansip said. "This was the most important part of todays session" of the cabinet. "The EU constitutional treaty cannot be put to a referendum in Estonia," Ansip said, citing Estonian law that foreign treaties are subject to parliamentary ratification.
Parliament is expected to ratify the constitutional treaty before the summer recess, a spokesman for the assembly said.
Foreign Minister Urmas Paet had said last month that the constitution will be debated and voted on by Estonia's parliament regardless of how France votes on the treaty in a referendum on May 29.
A poll conducted in March showed that 39 percent of Estonians had never heard of the proposed EU constitution.
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