AMSTERDAM - Chastened by the voters, the Dutch government on Thursday withdrew a plan to ratify the European constitution, as the leaders of Germany and Luxembourg prepared for a European Union summit on the deepening crisis.
In Latvia, parliament ratified the proposed charter, challenging those who would give up on the dream of a European superpower. It was the 10th nation to approve the treaty.
Rejections this week by Dutch and French voters - each by margins that left no doubt about the depth of discontent with Europe's direction - had leaders floundering over their next move.
Consensus emerged that the ratification process should continue in the 13 remaining members. However, the referendum results were likely to prompt some of those countries, particularly Britain, to scrap plans for their own balloting and leave the question to their parliaments.
The constitution must be approved by all 25 members, and European Union leaders have stressed there can be no renegotiation of the document.
But the EU Commission in Brussels, Belgium, said a summit set for June 16-17 will consider the possibility of drafting a new constitution.
"I am sure that is something that will be debated that week," EU Commission spokeswoman Francoise Le Bail said, when asked whether a new constitution was a possibility.
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder rushed to Luxembourg on Thursday to discuss future European policy with Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker who will chair the summit. Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende said he also will meet with Juncker next week.
The draft constitution was meant to give Europe some of the trappings of statehood - a flag, a president, a diplomatic corps and Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" as a pan-Europe anthem.
But it also was devised to allow the organs of the EU bureaucracy to function more smoothly following the expansion last year by 10 new members, eliminating the need for unanimity on many issues.
In the Netherlands, the momentum for the "no" vote picked up shortly after the referendum was called in January, surprising supporters. By mid-April, polls were consistently predicting the rejection. But by that time it was not possible to cancel or postpone a vote that has exacerbated Europe's political crisis.
Polls in France had also predicted a "no" vote in the weeks leading up to the referendum.
The reasons driving the "no" campaigns in France and the Netherlands were different. But they shared a common fear that their culturally rich nations will be submerged in a European superstate at the price of their heritage and traditions.
Europe has raced ahead toward integration without consulting their peoples, Balkenende told a sullen Dutch parliament, where more than 85 percent of the 150 members had backed the constitution.
Now, Brussels has to reconnect with the people, he said. "More attention for the citizens, fewer big words, and no more steps forward until there is support for them."
Some 62 percent of the Dutch electorate rejected the treaty Wednesday, even more than the 55 percent who voted against it in France on Sunday. The high turnout in both countries reflected the unexpected passion that the document aroused.
"We now need to understand why the Dutch people came to this verdict," said Balkenende. "We have to listen seriously to the feelings of the Dutch people and - while recognizing that we don't oppose Europe - accept that there are doubts about the entire process," he said.
Voters voiced concern over the excessive regulations handed down by Brussels - a sentiment echoed in Italy by Premier Silvio Berlusconi who suggested the Brussels summit should discuss the extent of the EU's power as well as the continent's stagnating economy.
"One can naturally discuss certain questions, the too many laws, the too many regulations, the (excessive) bureaucracy," he told reporters.