The European Union's constitution is not dead, but Ireland will not ratify the stalled treaty until its final form and content are settled, the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said today.
"Reports of the death of the European Constitution are premature," Mr Ahern said in the text of a speech to be delivered at a forum on Europe in Dublin.
Bertie Ahern
Mr Ahern brokered an agreement among the 25 EU governments on the wording of the constitution during Ireland's EU presidency in 2004, but the charter stalled last year after French and Dutch voters rejected it in referendums.
Last week, EU leaders agreed that Germany would produce a report in the first half of 2007 on how to take forward reform and said final decisions would have to be taken by the second half of 2008.
"In the interim, we will not have a referendum in Ireland," Mr Ahern said. "How can the Government ask the people to vote on a European treaty when the final form and content of that treaty remain open to question?" he said.
The constitution was intended to give the EU stronger leadership, with a long-term president and foreign minister, and a simpler voting system that would take more account of population size as the bloc welcomes more members.
"I remain firmly convinced that the European Constitution is essential for the future success of the enlarged EU," Mr Ahern said. However, he warned that governments should not try to force through a charter against people's will.
His stance will disappoint supporters of the charter who hope to persuade four-fifths of member states to ratify the treaty, creating a "critical mass" to trigger a special summit of EU leaders to consider the way forward.
That would require 20 countries to ratify. So far 15 have done so, and Finland is expected to become the 16th later this year. Portugal has said it is considering the idea, but Britain, Poland, the Czech Republic, Denmark and Sweden seem determined to hold off indefinitely, while France and The Netherlands have said they cannot hold a second vote on the same text.