European governments have been outlining their views on a draft European Union constitution.

The draft text calls for more qualified majority voting but rejects other integrationist measures - harmonising some taxes for example.

The proposals - possibly with further revision - will be delivered to EU leaders at a summit in Greece in late June.

Will a new EU constitution make a difference? Is there enough public interest to call a referendum on it?

This debate is now closed. Read a selection of your comments below.

Your reaction

Let's work within the EU to build the Europe we want D. Walters, UK

If we have a referendum, and the vote is to reject the constitution, what then? I don't think that re-negotiation is a possibility, any more than it was for Denmark after they rejected the Maastricht Treaty the first time. So we either ignore the referendum result if it's no, or withdraw completely from the EU, I don't see any other possibility. The anti-EU fanatics want us to withdraw of course but is that what most of us want, and is it what's best for the future of us and our children? I don't think so, so let's work within the EU to build the Europe we want, and stop moaning that the world is not always the way that little Englanders would like it to be!
D. Walters, UK

Tony Blair is driving this Euro debate, like he drove the debate over the Iraq war. He doesn't give a hoot what the people want. At the end of the day he wants things his way, and if that means not letting the British people have their say, then so be it. His mind is made up, and Mr Blair is not going to let the people of the UK spoil things for him.
Andy, UK

Regardless of whether the constitution does or will represent a workable future of Europe, the 'people' of Britain are probably not in any position to vote on it. A referendum would be worthwhile if the people voting understand the consequences of their vote. The quality of argument, especially in the newspapers has been, as usual, exceptionally poor. Can democracy work while the flow of information is corrupted?
James, UK

What is dangerous in this document is not what it proposes for the present but what is opens the door to in the future. The whole idea of a constitution smacks of federalism. It is typical of New Labour that they claim victory over the removal of the "federal" word yet ignore the substance of the rest of the document.
Ken, N. Ireland

The big countries want a Europe of politicians and bureaucrats Joseph, Malta

The draft of the constitution lacks ambition. There is hardly anything new in it. The big countries want a Europe of politicians and bureaucrats where the will of the people is ignored. Eurosceptics are once again making sure that the democratic structures within the EU, namely the European parliament is powerless, so that they can claim that the EU lacks democratic credentials.
Joseph, Malta

I just read through the newly released draft. This is an extraordinarily weak and ambiguous document. There is no evidence of any great or inspired minds at work. It reads like something a bunch of mediocre, lawyer bureaucrats put together. It will provide virtually no guidance in the future to those who disagree about various "competences." Maybe the EU will work, but if it does, this document will not play any role in its success.
Jack, USA

I hope it will make a difference, but I'm afraid it will be watered down too much for that. As long as countries like Britain and France fancy themselves political superpowers, we will not make any progress on the European idea.
Karin Espelage, USA (German Citizen)

Let's not get over-excited Matthew, UK

The new constitution essentially doesn't say anything more than Maastricht or the Single European Act, neither of which the Tories deemed worthy of a referendum. To demand one on this is opportunist hypocrisy. Let the government get on with it! And anyway, let's just remember that the version currently published is a DRAFT document and will be substantially amended in the upcoming inter-governmental conference. Let's not get over-excited and peak too early on this one eh?
Matthew, UK

The actual qualities of the draft constitution make little difference... it will be pushed through no matter what. If a referendum is called, it will be repeated over and over until voters say yes. This is a sham.
Daniel Stokes, Denver, Co, USA

A criticism of the EU has been that it is remote and that as an institution it does not engage the people of Europe. The simplest way of addressing these concerns is to put the constitution to an EU-wide referendum at which all the citizens of the EU can express their view. The referendum should be held on the same day for all member states - it's the perfect opportunity for all citizens of the EU to be involved. But, can voter apathy be overcome?
Nick Johnson, uk

The constitution will make a tremendous difference - it will set the blueprint for the Europe of the next 50 years. Judging by the depressing tone of the UK debate I'm coming round to the idea of an 'Armageddon referendum' - yes for the new constitution and continued EU membership, no for exit from the EU. My vote will be a definite yes.
Nick Fraser, Berlin, Germany (UK citizen)

Without a proper constitution, Europe cannot hope to anything more than a jumped up debating society Conor, Spain

Without a proper constitution, Europe cannot hope to anything more than a jumped up debating society. Furthermore, euro sceptics should not reject the idea of a constitution out of hand. If they are truly interested in their country's and continent's future they should be in there arguing their case, but within the constitution. For example I feel strongly about the need for subsidiarity to be enshrined in the constitution. Most important of course is the fact that every European citizen is granted to right to vote on the constitution, otherwise the naysayers will never accept it.
Conor, Spain

This so-called constitution won't make a difference to me because it is illegal and I refuse to follow it. I have my (unwritten) constitution and I know where I stand. It's the UK, not Europe.
Russ, UK

Regardless of the content of the EU constitution, its existence means that its primacy over UK parliament & laws has been established if we sign up to it. The content (as with all previous EU treaties) is subject to change over time. For example the UK social chapter exemption of the Maastricht Treaty (whatever you may think of its merits) lasted for precisely one parliament. So promises from politicians that certain areas of sovereignty (e.g. tax; foreign policy; defence) will not be ceded to the EU are meaningless.
Ian, UK

The EU needs to operate differently than the US. I believe that the EU should consider a confederacy as opposed to a federal system.
Bryan Wokich, Seattle, USA

Surely if it's only a "tidying up exercise" as our government keeps telling us then it won't have any real effect!
Peter, UK

Romano Prodi is right to criticise the draft constitution proposals for lacking ambition. This is a wasted opportunity to create a framework for a truly united Europe, with greater competences allocated to the EU, greater institutional balance and improved democratic accountability. Nonetheless, the constitution is important in that it will clarify the EU's complex legal structure and will iron out some of the least efficient parts of its decision making process. The UK's place should not be as a constant stumbling block to the achievable dream of European integration, but at the heart of the decision making process.
Ben, UK

The UK Government states that the new EU Constitution is only a mere tidying up exercise and doesn't require a referendum. So what constitution was the UK Government reading, because it surely wasn't the one that I read? The one that I read included many excellent features like abolition of the undemocratic national vetoes, a proper Bill of Rights, and a common foreign, security and defence policy. Things that Europe so desperately needs in order to function effectively on the world stage. The idea that you can impose a constitution on the people without asking for their permission is disgraceful, insulting and undemocratic. As least I live in a real democracy where the people will have the final say.
John Byrne, Republic of Ireland