On April 6, 2005, Italy became the first major nation of the European Union (EU) to ratify the proposed European constitution [PDF]. The Italian Senate overwhelmingly approved the document by a vote of 217-16. The EU constitution was rejected in 2005 by referendum votes in France and the Netherlands. The rejections were seen as major setbacks for the long-term viability of the constitutional initiative. Just prior to taking over the EU presidency in May 2006, German Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged to revive the constitutional effort with the support of other member states, including Spain and Italy. However, strong resistance to the initiative led to the abandonment of the constitution in favor of the Treaty of Lisbon, which entered into force on December 1, 2009.

Flag of the European Union

Learn more about the European Union and the Treaty of Lisbon from the JURIST news archive and read commentary on the Treaty from JURIST Guest Columnist Dr. Laurent Pech in Forum.

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