Parliamentary approval

The decision by the Parliament has been taken on May 12, just ahead of the French referendum. The ratification by the second chamber (Bundesrat) followed on May 27, 2005. Only three days ahead of the "Non" said by the French voters.

The German Constitution (Grundgesetz) doesn’t provide for referendums at the federal level. But more than 90% of the Germans are in favour of a referendum on the EU Constitution.

In 2003, the Liberal Party, FDP, submitted a motion for an amendment of the ‘Grundgesetz’ to enable a referendum. But a big majority in the German parliament, the 'Bundestag' of Social Democrats, SPD, Christian Democrats, CDU/CSU, and Greens, Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, turned down the proposal from the Liberals. Only the oppositional Socialist Party, PDS, supported the motion. The constitutional amendment enabling a binding referendum needs the consent of the governmental coalition from Social Democrats and Greens as well as the consent of the Christian Democrats for the required two-thirds majority in the parliament and in the senate. The decision of Mr. Blair to hold a referendum on the EU Constitution had put some additional pressure on the German government.

In Autumn 2004 a broad debate about holding a referendum erased. The SPD and the Greens had presented on the 5th of October 2004 a draft amendment to the Constitution to allow referenda in Germany, on the initiative of the Government or the Bundestag. However, chances were always low for the bill to pass on time for the ratification of the European Constitution to be approved through referendum.

Read more facts on the ratification.