RATING
AND DEBATE
Decided
Prime
Minister Matti Vanhanen has ruled out the need for a referendum,
saying that a referendum is not needed since the EU will not change
so much under the new Constitution. However, there have been disagreement
from a number of prominent Finnish politicians, including the Minister
of Trade and Industry Mauri Pekkarinen as well as the Justice Minister
Johannes Koskinen, who suggested a public vote should be held together
with the next Finnish presidential elections in 2006. On 09.05.2005
Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen said that the Constitution
is "too complicated" to be decided by a referendum, he
said that while the treaty was "not easy to read and understand",
it was however "more understandable than the old treaties."
Different opinion polls showed Finns in favour of the treaty. Nevertheless
a poll conducted by the Taloustutkimus institute and published on
09.05.05 showed that 20 per cent of Finns would not take part in
the vote and 43 per cent of Finns, said they did not know how they
would vote if a referendum was called.
After
European leaders extended the ratification deadline, Finnish Prime
Minister Matti Vanhanen said that his country's parliamentary ratification,
scheduled for late 2005 or early 2006, was also being put on ice.
Now probably only a government report will be issued on the matter
to lay the foundations for a thorough debate on the constitution.
Nevertheless the Finnish ratification process is to continue even
though the rejection of the document in France and the Netherlands
means that the treaty is unlikely to take effect in its current
form.
Although Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja said at the end of May
that even if the French vote "no", "we will continue
in Finland, as I expect many other countries to do, the ratification
process because I don't think we have to call crisis meetings immediately,".
Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen said that his country's parliamentary
ratification, scheduled for late 2005 or early 2006, was also being
put on ice. Finnish President Tarja Halonen said the treaty was
“the best possible result that we could achieve" to give
the enlarged Union an institutional framework.
A poll published on 20 June indicated widespread opposition in Finland
to the Constitution, according to the poll, commissioned by Helsingin
Sanomat and conducted by Suomen Gallup, nearly half of Finns would
vote against the draft treaty if a referendum was held on the issue,
while about a third would vote yes.
Furthermore some critics said it could suit Finland’s purposes
well, the fact that there would be no decisions made on the future
of the Constitution until the second half of 2006, when Finland
holds the EU Presidency.
With
125 votes to 39, the Finnish parliament approved the Constitution
on 5 December 2006, despite the doubts over its future following
the failed referenda in France and the Netherlands. Finnish Prime
Minister Matti Vanhanen said: "My own view is that the Constitutional
Treaty is a well-balanced package. Europe needs reform. That is
why the Finnish government wanted to push ahead with it, at both
national and EU level."
Eurobarometer
(2006), The Future of Europe - Results for Finland,
Special Eurobarometer 251, Fieldwork: 23/02 – 15/03 2006.
(PDF)
Eurobarometer
report, (February 2004): 68%
rather agree, 20% rather disagree*
*Are
you rather agree or rather disagree with the statement: The European
Union must adopt a Constitution.
Eurobarometer
report, (January 2005): 42% favourable, 24% 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): 47% favourable, 41% opposed*
*Based
on the question, are you for or against a constitution for the European
Union?
Latest
News
05.12.2006
Finland ratifies EU constitution, EUobserver.com
12.05.2006
Finnish parliament starts EU Constitution ratification process,
EUobserver.com
Finland's parliament
on Friday voted in favour of starting the process to ratify the
EU Constitution.
28.04.2006
Finland ready to ratify EU constitution, EUbusiness.com
The Finnish
parliament's foreign affairs committee gave the green light on Friday
for the country to ratify the European Union Constitution, perhaps
even before taking over the EU presidency in July.
24.04.2006 Finns
want say on EU constitution, EUobserver.com
A majority
of Finns would like to have a say on the country's adoption of the
EU constitution, according to a new survey.
17.06.2005
Sweden, Finland postpone ratification of EU constitution indefinitely.
EUbusienss.com
26.05.2005
Finland to push ahead with EU ratification even if French vote 'no'.
EUbusiness.com
09.05.2005
EU constitution 'too complicated' for referendum: Finnish PM. EUbusiness.com
27.08.2004
Finnish Social Democrats
against referendum on the Constitution. EUobserver.com
16.08.2004
Finnish Prime
Minister Matti Vanhanen has ruled out a referendum in his country
on the new EU Constitution. EUobserver.com
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