BUDAPEST - European Parliament President Josep Borrell on Thursday warned here that the European Union had "no plan B" ready in case a member country failed to ratify the bloc`s constitution.
Borrell said if one country were to vote against the constitution -- which must be unanimously approved by the EU`s 25 members in order for it to come into effect -- others should still go ahead with planned referendums on the treaty.
"There is no plan B in the European Parliament or the European Commission," Borrell told reporters in Budapest ahead of a two-day annual meeting of EU national parliament presidents.
"If a country says no, whether it is France or Malta, the others still have to give their opinion. It`s business as usual," he said.
The new constitution faces a crucial test in France where backers and opponents of the constitution are neck and neck ahead of a May 29 referendum.
A poll by the Ifop agency published on the website of the weekly magazine Paris Match on Wednesday showed that if the referendum were held next Sunday, the result would be 50-50.
Three other recent polls had suggested that French voters could approve the treaty, after a string of surveys had indicated a victory for the `no` camp.
Should the `no` win out in France, there have been suggestions that Britain and Poland may reconsider holding a popular vote.
Other EU states including Luxembourg, Denmark and Portugal appear determined to hold their referendums whatever the result of the French vote.
Spain in February became the first country to hold a referendum on the constitution, and 77 percent of Spaniards who went to the polls voted "yes."
The country`s Senate is expected to give its final approval to the document in about two months.
Five other EU member states -- Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania and Slovenia -- have already ratified the constitution via parliamentary votes.
05/05/2005 14:32 GMT