RATING
AND DEBATE
Decided
The
Estonian government decided not to have a referendum on the Constitution
- a decision, which the majority of the country's parties agreed
with. The official reason was that by the time the Estonian accession
referendum was held, the result of the Convention and the prospect
of an IGC were already known and voters could take this into account
when they had to decide about accession. The final decision on ratifying
the treaty will be taken by the Estonian parliament. None of the
parliamentary parties has expressed any significant concerns about
the Constitution. A poll carried out by the Emor agency and published
on 14.03.2005, showed that while 36 per cent of Estonians had not
even heard of the constitutional treaty, 4% considerd they were
"informed" of the contents of the Constitution, 21 per
cent had knowledge of it "to some degree", and 37 per
cent had heard of it but did not know its content.
Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said on 22.04.2005 that the
Constitution would be debated and voted by Estonia's parliament
regardless of how the French vote on the treaty in a referendum.
On 05.05.2005 the government sent the Constitution to the Parliament,
then the Parliament was expected to ratify the treaty before the
summer recess.
However on 03.06.2005 the Estonian parliament postponed the ratification
of the EU Constitution until autumn, officials denied the delay
was influenced by the French and Dutch rejection of the text.
Although European leaders extended the ratification deadline, Prime
Minister Andrus Ansip insisted on the fact that the parliament will
vote as planned on the Constitution. "The government has given
the text to parliament and lawmakers will take up ratification.
[...] Estonia cannot declare the EU constitutional treaty dead,"
Ansip said after the EU summit in June 2005.
On
16 January 2006, the Constitutional Commission of the Estonian Parliament
sent for the first parliamentary reading a bill on the ratification
of the European Constitution. The commissioners adopted the bill
in the first reading on February 8.
Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said that the European Constitution
is useful for the country and there are no reasons for not considering
or ratifying it. Today moods in Europe are quite different from
what they were a year before, when France and the Netherlands rejected
the Constitution.
On
9 May 2006 Estonia has become the 15th country to ratify the EU
constitution when its parliament voted with 73 in favour and one
against with no abstentions on Europe Day after the second parliamentary
reading. According to Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet, the
constitutional treaty is the best text available at the moment.
"It is a good treaty for Europe, and for Estonia, [...] Estonia
is declaring that we must increase the efficiency of common endeavours
in spheres where it would benefit the security and welfare of the
people living in the European Union," Mr Paet said in a statement.
More
background information...
Eurobarometer
(2006), The Future of Europe - Results for Estonia,
Special Eurobarometer 251, Fieldwork: 23/02 – 15/03 2006.
(PDF)
Eurobarometer
report, (February 2004): 60%
rather agree, 10% rather disagree*
*Are
you rather agree or rather disagree with the statement: The European
Union must adopt a Constitution.
Eurobarometer
report, (January 2005): 32% favourable, 11% opposed*
*Based
on what you know, would you say that you are in favour of or opposed
to the draft European Constitution?
Eurobarometer
report, (July 2005): 52% favourable, 12% opposed*
*Based
on the question, are you for or against a constitution for the European
Union?
Latest
News
09.05.2006
Estonia ratifies EU constitution, EUobserver.com
Estonia has
become the 15th country to ratify the EU constitution when its parliament
voted with a clear majority in favour of the treaty on Tuesday.
20.04.2006
Estonia set to ratify EU constitution on May 9, EUbusiness.com
The Estonian
parliament is expected to endorse the EU constitution on May 9,
the date the European Union celebrates its official Europe Day,
officials said on Thursday.
17.06.2005
Estonia bucks EU trend, vows to go ahead as planned with constitution
vote. EUbusiness.com
03.06.2005
Estonia postpones European treaty ratification. EUbusiness.com
05.05.2005
Estonia sends EU constitution for ratification.EUbusiness.com
22.04.2005
Estonia will vote on EU constitution regardless of French result.
EUbusiness.com
14.03.2005
More than third of Estonians 'never heard of' EU constitution: poll.
EUbusiness.com
03.09.2004
Estonia: No referendum on EU Constitution. EUobserver.com
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