Finn MPs approve EU constitution
HELSINKI, Finland (Reuters)
Finland’s parliament voted in favor of the European Union’s stalled constitution on Friday, clearing the way for formal ratification which the government wants as soon as possible.
The Nordic country, which takes on the 25-nation EU’s rotating presidency in July, is set to become the 16th state to ratify the charter. It must still be approved by the cabinet and formally endorsed in another parliamentary vote.
However, even the most ardent backers say Finnish ratification, expected in early June, will make little difference to the fate of a treaty rejected by Dutch and French voters last year.
Parties in the ruling coalition as well as some opposition legislators in the 200-seat parliament voted for the charter, designed to streamline EU institutions and improve decision-making to cope with the bloc’s enlargement.
Estonia ratified the treaty on Tuesday, but it requires unanimity to enter into force and several countries that have promised to hold referendums are holding off because of uncertainty following the French and Dutch “noes”.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said this week the EU had to win back its credibility before it could think about salvaging the constitution.
While he said he hoped the expanding EU could manage some kind of reform of its institutions by 2009, he did not say if he considered the constitution dead or alive.
Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, who wants Finland to ratify the constitution before taking over the EU presidency, admitted its fate was probably sealed.
“It is realistic to see Finland’s decision does not significantly change the destiny of the constitution, but it can have a positive impact on the atmosphere in the EU and in the long run also on the content of the agreement,” he wrote in Friday’s Turun Sanomat newspaper.
He said Finland had to decide for itself on the constitution, which provides for a long-term EU president and more say for national parliaments.
“If we didn’t ratify the constitution because of two other countries’ decisions, then we would let them decide for us,” he wrote.
His government is somewhat at odds with Finnish President Tarja Halonen, who has questioned the wisdom of pressing ahead with the treaty. She said this week that states that had rejected the charter were unlikely to change their minds simply because more countries had given it their stamp of approval.
Germany will assume the EU presidency after Finland in January next year and Chancellor Angela Merkel has made it clear that reviving the treaty will be her chief focus.