By Chen Zhi ¡¡

    BRUSSELS, June 12 (Xinhuanet) -- The latest opinion polls from European Union (EU) member countries planning to hold referendums on the bloc's first ever constitution show that opposition to the treaty is snowballing after the French and Dutch cast "No" votes recently.

    These negative polls will undoubtedly lend weight to the arguments of those member states such as Britain, which wants EU leaders to suspend the ratification process at the upcoming EU summit scheduled to be held on June 16-17.

    LUXEMBOURG: NO VOTE CLIMES TO 45 PERCENT

    In Luxembourg, which is planning to hold its referendum on July10, the size of the "No" vote has risen to 45 percent from 28 percent while the "Yes" camp's share has dwindled to 55 percent from 72 percent since April, according to a poll by the TNS-ILReS Institute carried out on June 3.

    It has been speculated that Luxembourg's Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker could drop the referendum if EU leaders agree at the summit on June 16-17 to call a halt to the referendum process.Juncker has pledged to resign if the vote goes against the constitution on July 10. At the same time, 82 percent of the population believe that the referendum should go ahead.

    DENMARK: NO OVERTAKES YES

    In Denmark, which is due to carry out its referendum on Sept. 27, the No camp has overtaken the pro-Constitution one, registering 56 percent of the total, according to a poll by the Green Institute.

    The "No" side has increased its share of the vote by 13 percentin a span of only one month while the "Yes" vote now stands at 44 percent, down 13 percent.

    However, two-thirds of respondents think the referendum should go ahead as planned. Support for joining the euro zone has also fallen by six points to 50 percent, while support for Danish participation in the EU defense policy is down seven points to 52 percent while only 40 percent would like to see Denmark cooperating in justice and home affairs.

    POLAND: YES VOTE SLUMPS

    In Poland, the fall in support for the EU constitutional treatyhas been dramatic, with only 40 percent of respondents intending to vote "Yes" on June 4-5, a drop of 14 points, according to a poll by PBS.

    The "No" vote is currently put at 35 percent with 25 percent undecided. The Polish government has not yet set a date for its referendum although President Aleksander Kwasniewski has said thatthe poll should be held on Oct. 9, the same day as the Presidential election, to ensure a turnout of the required 50 percent for its validity. He also said that Poland should have a chance to express itself on the Constitution.

    CZECH: NO VOTE EDGES AHEAD

    In the Czech Republic, a poll by the Factum Invenio Institute on June 2 put the "No" vote at 52 percent, just slightly ahead of the "Yes" with 48 percent. However, a poll in May showed that two-thirds of voters were in favor of the Constitution.

    BRITAIN: NO EXCEEDS 70 PERCENT

    A poll carried out by Populus for The Times puts the "No" vote at 74 percent of those planning to take part in the referendum.

    Fifty percent of all those who participated in the opinion pollsaid they would vote No, 18 percent said they planned to vote Yes,20 percent said they would not vote at all and 13 percent said they had not yet made up their minds.

    The EU constitution was officially adopted by government representatives in the European Union in October 2004. Before taking effect, it has to be ratified within two years by all the 25 EU member states.

    The treaty has so far been ratified by 10 countries. Enditem