Ratification should continue, says Brussels

The ratification of the EU constitution should continue despite the French No, according to the leaders of the bloc's top institutions.

The French No will be reflected and debated during the upcoming summit of the European leaders in mid-June, but the other countries holding the referenda or voting on the document through parliament should continue to do so, according to Brussels.

While expressing "regret" about the result, the top officials stressed that the EU institutions would carry on with their normal work, and suggested they want to take the No as a challenge for forging a new "European compromise".

"The tenor of the debate in France, and the result of the referendum also reinforce our conviction that the relevant national and European politicians must do more to explain the true scale of what is at stake, and the nature of the answers that only Europe can offer", the leaders of the European parliament, Commission and the presidency said in a statement.

According to the Luxembourg prime minister and current EU chief, Jean-Claude Juncker, "If we were to add up all the votes of those who wanted 'more Europe' as a yes then I think that we would have had a yes vote".

He said the contradictory messages among the opponents to the treaty meant that it is "impossible" to renegotiate the document adding "the process of ratification must continue in the other countries".

Mr Juncker acknowledged the result would influence the debates and voting in other member states, and suggested national leaders should "assess the advantages of the constitution to the existing treaties and accordingly engage in the debate when explaining them".

"The Treaty is not dead. Although I have to admit it has not been able to show its full strength tonight", said Mr Juncker.

Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso suggested the vote in France had more to do with internal politics rather than general European matters.

He said although it was a no in a "very important country...it is difficult to draw conclusions when only one country voted no."

"We should work together to try and put Europe back on track", said Mr Barroso.

Other leaders gave a downbeat assessment of the vote.

"It is a setback for the French president and his government, it is a setback for the ratification process and it is an enormous setback for the prospects of Europe" said the Swedish prime minister, Goran Persson. according to AFP.

Victorious No

However, the victorious no camp, whose supporters came from both the left and the right side of the political spectrum want the result to be respected.

"Jacques Chirac should defend the message of the French people or resign", said Philippe de Villiers, the leader of the right wing part of the No camp.

British Conservative MEP Timothy Kirkhope welcomed France's vote as being a "good result for democracy" adding "the EU elite should accept the fact that a founding member of the EU has chosen to put the brakes on European integration".