This link from my friend John...

Finland has become the sixteenth European state to ratify the EU Constitution. The matter will now be passed to Finish President. The government hopes to have the constitution officially ratified by the time EU ministers meet for the end of the Finnish presidency of the European Union.

Quote: "The Finnish presidency held discussions with EU states during the autumn, and will present an assessment of the state of play to the summit. EU leaders are still hoping for agreement on measures to streamline EU institutions by 2009, when a new European Commission will be appointed and elections will be held to the European Parliament. 

"Streamlining EU institutions" will of course give Javier Solana the official title of European Foreign Minister. Despite its rejection by a majority of citizens in both France and Holland, some EU states have continued to press on with ratification of the constitution, resulting in a truly bizarre situation. Some countries have declared the EU document "dead in the water", over half of the states have now ratified the treaty, and some others such as Germany are proposing it be rewritten.

Quote: "Germany's plan is to spend the first three months of its presidency sounding out opinion across Europe - "active listening", in the words of one diplomat. In March, EU leaders will meet in the German capital to sign a short and crisp Berlin Declaration to mark the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, which first set out the idea of a common market. By June - with the political situation in Britain and France clearer - the Germans hope to produce a document that will set out the terms for a possible consensus and a time frame for moves to adopt the constitution.

Source BBC, The Australian