The Maltese members of the European Parliament who were elected under the Labour Party ticket yesterday abstained from voting for the ratification of the new European Union Constitution.

An MLP statement said the MLP MEPs abstained from voting since the MLP has not yet decided its position on the matter. In fact, the discussion on the European Constitution has begun within the party’s internal structures and a final decision will be take by a general conference in the future.

In a statement, the party said the MEPs believe that the European Constitution is very important for Malta and so this had to be discussed by the MLP before they vote on it at the European Parliament.

The party said the EU member states have till next year to ratify the Constitutional Treaty. The MLP MEPs informed the head of the European Socialist Group about their decision and he said he understood their position, the statement said.