Thursday

28th Mar 2024

Portuguese MPs enable referendum on EU Constitution

The two main Portuguese parties, the majority-holding Socialists and opposition Social Democrats, have agreed a common text to reform the Portuguese Constitution, in order to allow a referendum on the EU Constitution to take place in September.

The current Portuguese Constitution forbids referendums on "international treaties".

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The new text will include a special one-off exception to this rule for the referendum on the EU Constitution.

"We have agreed on a common minimum denominator", said the Portuguese opposition leader Marques Mendes, according to national media.

The Parliament is set to vote on the new text in a plenary session no later than June 15, writes Público, and the Portuguese are set to vote on the constitution simultaneously with local elections on 2, 6 or 9 September.

Quoted in Diário de Notícias, Mr Mendes added that Portugal should go ahead with the referendum despite the French and Dutch rejections of the EU charter as "the sovereignty of a people is not delegable, it has to be exercised".

Ukraine slams grain trade restrictions at EU summit

Restrictions on Ukrainian agricultural exports to the EU could translate into military losses in their bid to stop Russia's war, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky warned EU leaders during their summit in Brussels on Thursday.

Difficult talks ahead on financing new EU defence spending

With the war in Ukraine showing no signs of ending any time soon, EU leaders will meet in Brussels on Thursday and Friday (21 and 22 March) to discuss how to boost the defence capabilities of Ukraine and of the bloc itself.

Opinion

Why UK-EU defence and security deal may be difficult

Rather than assuming a pro-European Labour government in London will automatically open doors in Brussels, the Labour party needs to consider what it may be able to offer to incentivise EU leaders to factor the UK into their defence thinking.

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