German, French leaders urge that EU constitution votes continue News
German, French leaders urge that EU constitution votes continue

[JURIST] French President Jacques Chirac [Wikipedia profile] and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder [BBC profile] agreed Saturday that ratification votes on the EU Constitution [official website] must go on, despite last week's devastating rejections of the charter in France [JURIST report] and the Netherlands [JURIST report]. Many political analysts question whether the ratification process for the constitution can move forward, however, and believe the recent "no" votes are a sign that some Europeans leaders are out of touch with their constituents. The proposed EU constitution requires that all 25 member states approve the draft in order for it to take effect. Schroeder has announced that during the upcoming EU summit [official website] he will call for a “pause for reflection” in an effort to regroup and get the ratification back on track. AP has more.

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