Luxembourg Referendum Brings 'Yes' Vote

by Ulrika Lomas, for LawAndTax-News.com, Brussels

12 July 2005

Luxembourg's citizens on Sunday voted by a margin of 56.52% for and 43.48% against to support the proposed EU constitution, making the country the thirteenth EU member state to approve the planned treaty, and the second to do so via a referendum.

Speaking to the BBC's The World This Weekend programme earlier this month, Prime Minister, Jean-Claude Juncker suggested that his country's vote on the EU constitution may seal the agreement's fate.

Mr Juncker told the BBC at the time that:

"If this country will say no then according to my colleagues in the European Commission this would clearly mean the treaty would be dead. But if Luxembourg says yes then it could be the signal that the process is still alive."

Mr Juncker had pledged to resign if Luxembourg's voters rejected the planned agreement, and some observers have suggested that Sunday's vote was more of an expression of confidence in the Prime Minister than of support for the EU constitution.

The treaty is now expected to receive a second reading in Luxembourg's Chamber of Deputies in September.

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