Current status concerning EU Constitution:
• Parliamentary ratification of the EU Constitution postponed after French and Dutch rejections.
• Sweden has no current plans to ratify the EU Constitution. Foreign Affairs minister Laila Freivalds has said that “the EU, in the coming few years, can continue to function with the present treaties. In the longer perspective, however, it is necessary to consolidate the Union and make it more efficient” (Speech in Canberra, Australia, 8 November 2005)
• Strong popular support for a referendum
• General elections in September 2006
UPDATES
• 30 January 2007: Swedish EU-Minister Cecilia Malmstrom said that the Swedish government wants to keep "as much as possible" from the old Constitution proposal, adding that the government will avoid an "undesirable" referendum on the Treaty.
• 16 June 2006: Swedish Prime Minister G