Current status concerning EU Constitution:
• Ratification process completed on 6 April 2005.
• Italian prime minister Romano Prodi favours a shortened EU Constitution with Parts I and II (and IV), excluding the "technical" Part III.
UPDATES
• 16 June 2006: "We have in front of us a six-month period which we will use to suture the wounds, but the mourning is over," declared Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi on the EU Constitution after the EU Summit in Brussels (15-16 June) (Direction Générale de l'Information, European Parliament, Brussels). According to the EUobserver.com Mr Prodi said in May: "It is impossible to go ahead with exactly the same text," arguing that the risk of a second "no" to the treaty in France or the Netherlands was too high.
• 05 May 2006: According to the Eurobarometer results:
- 49% think their country's EU membership is "a good thing"
- 28% chose "a common constitution" when asked to choose two from six options concerning what "would be most helpful for the Future of Europe"
- 29% chose "a common constitution" when asked to choose two from six options concerning what "would strengthen your feelings about being a European citizen."
• 17 April 2006: According to prime minister Romano Prodi “The European Constitution isn’t dead; ratification must continue.” (The Telegraph, UK)