French senate votes to ease referendum reqıirement for new EU members

The French Senate on Wednesday voted to ease a proposed requirement that some new European Union member countries would have to be approved by a public referendum in France. The measure, part of a package of constitutional changes, would require a referendum on new members whose population exceeds 5 percent of the EU's total population, but would also allow the president to ask the Senate and National Assembly to bypass this. To do so, a three-fifths supermajority of both houses would be needed. The whole package is next set to face a vote in a joint session of the Senate and lower house.