The European Constitution was signed on 29 October 2004 at a ceremony in Rome, but before it can come into force it must be ratified by all 25 EU member states, either through a referendum or by parliamentary vote.

The rejection of the treaty by voters in France and the Netherlands has caused some countries to postpone moves towards ratification.

EU leaders at a 16-17 June summit in Brussels called for a "pause for reflection" and scrapped the original 2006 ratification deadline.

Twelve countries have ratified the treaty: Austria, Cyprus, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain.

The German parliament has voted in favour of ratification, but German President Horst Koehler has not yet completed the process by adding his signature.