French voters, by a wide margin, have rejected the European Union constitution. In a national referendum, those voting against the constitution prevailed by about 55 to 45 percent.
The constitution's defeat is a severe setback to the plan to integrate parts of the 25 member countries of the EU.
French President Jaques Chirac, in an address on national radio and television, said the EU will continue working on the basis of treaties currently in effect.
He also said the process of ratifying the treaty will continue in other EU countries. So far nine nations have ratified the pact. France is the first to reject it.
The Netherlands will vote on the EU Constitution on Wednesday.
Information for this report is provided by AP and AFP.
