Duits parlement stemt op 12 mei 2005 over Europese Grondwet (en)
Auteur: | By Lucia Kubosova
The German Parliament is set to ratify the EU Constitution on 12 May, it was announced on Monday (7 March).
According to the German press, officials say that they want to help build momentum towards a positive result in the French referendum which will follow just days after.
The process of ratification in the German parliament started in late February, when its upper house - Bundesrat - began the necessary procedures.
The most populous EU member state has not opted for a referendum on the new treaty, as it would have required changes to the German federal constitution.
Under its rules, a referendum is not possible as a means of decision making.
A senoir SPD politician told the German press that parliamentarians wanted to conclude the ratification before the referendum in France - scheduled on 29 May, in order to encourage a positive outcome in its neighbour across the Rhine.
France will be the second of ten countries holding a referendum on the EU Constitution, after a vote in Spain held on 20 February and just two days before a poll in the Netherlands to be held on 1 June.
The Constitution needs to be ratified by all 25 member states before coming into force.