Slovenia ratifies EU constitution

Slovenia's parliament has ratified the European Union constitution by an overwhelming majority. The vote in the 90-member house was 79 for ratification and four against, with seven deputies absent. A two-thirds majority was needed for ratification. Slovenia is the third out of 25 EU member states to ratify the constitution, following Lithuania and Hungary. The constitution will come into effect on November 1st next year, providing it is ratified by all EU member states.