EU parliament backs constitution

Spain will be the first country to hold a referendum on the text

The European Parliament has endorsed the proposed European Constitution in a vote in Wednesday.

MEPs overwhelmingly backed the text and called on all EU governments to promote the benefits of the constitution for the public.

Five hundred deputies in Strasbourg voted in favour, with 137 against and 40 abstentions.

All 25 EU states must back the text by public referendum or parliamentary vote before it can be implemented.

Ten countries have so far confirmed that they will hold referendums on whether to sign the constitution, which was agreed at a summit meeting of European leaders in Brussels in June.

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Spain will hold the first referendum. The government has launched a high profile publicity campaign, which includes distributing pamphlets at football matches, in the run-up to the vote on 20 February.

Lithuania and Hungary, two of the 10 countries to join the EU last May, have both ratified the constitution by parliamentary vote.

Luxembourg's Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, whose country currently holds the rotating EU presidency, had urged the European Parliament to back the treaty.

"The ratification will not be easy everywhere," he said. "Of course the constitution is not perfect, but let's judge this by the yardstick of what Europe needs."