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Referendum On New EU Treaty Unlikely

Finland's State Secretary for EU Affairs Jari Luoto does not believe that Finland will hold a referendum on the new treaty reached by European Union leaders over the weekend.

The new treaty on guidelines to govern the bloc will change the structure of EU organs, but Luoto does not think that the changes are big enough to warrant a referendum.

The State Secretary for EU Affairs takes the view that there are few differences between the treaty agreed upon Saturday and the constitutional treaty which has already been ratified by Finland's Parliament.

Luoto told YLE Morning TV that although the matter will be debated, he thinks that the same ratification procedure can be used.

The new EU treaty will be put to the voters in a referendum in Ireland, and possibly also in Denmark and the Netherlands.

YLE