The June European Council: Fear and loathing in Brussels?

The French and Dutch No votes on the EU constitutional treaty have rocked Europe's political establishment. The EU's heads of government will debate the future of the document at their summit – and the equally fractious issue of the EU's budget – in Brussels on 16 June 2005. Luxembourg, which currently holds the EU presidency, has insisted that ratification must continue, a position supported by the majority of EU member-states. But some, most notably Britain, see no point in carrying on with referendums which are likely to be lost, further damaging EU credibility.