Italy
approved in lower house on 25th of January 2005 and sent to the Senate which gave the treaty its backing on 6 April. Fourth country that ratifies the EU Constitution.
Italy’s Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi wanted to be the first to ratify the EU Constitution. However, the Lithuanian Parliament was the fastest.
The Italian Parliament has raftified the constitution in January 2005.
During the negotiations about the new treaty Berlusconi has always expressed his sympathies with the idea to hold a referendum. But recently the government has announced that the Italian Constitution forbids a referendum. Article 75 states that referendums may not be held on matters relating to the budget, prison amnesties or “the ratification of international treaties”.
None the less the Italian population has already once voted in favour of an initiative aiming to get a European constitution in 1988 (find more information in the referendum history.
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