Lawmakers on Thursday ratified the newly signed European Union Constitution, making the new member the first country in the 25-member bloc to approve the historic document. Eighty-four members of the 141-seat Seimas, or parliament, voted to ratify the document. Members of the bloc signed the constitution Oct. 29 in Rome, and the charter is supposed to take effect in 2007. The document must be ratified by the legislatures of all EU states in 2005 and 2006. It's a tricky prospect, given that at least nine countries _ Denmark, Spain, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, the Czech Republic and Britain _ plan to put the constitution to a referendum. A single 'no' would stop the EU constitution in its tracks.
