The British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, has announced that he will hold a referendum on the proposed new constitution for the enlarged EU.
Mr Blair told the House of Commons this morning he would let the people have the final say.
However, he indicated that any agreement between the EU member states later this year would have to respect Britain's sovereignty on issues such as taxation, foreign policy, social security and defence.
Mr Blair told MPs the electorate should be asked for its opinion on the EU constitution once parliament had debated it.
He said he wants to use the referendum campaign to debate the realities of Britain's relationship with the EU rather than what he described as the myths.
It was time to decide whether Britain wanted to remain at the heart of Europe, Mr Blair added.
He had previously refused demands from the opposition parties and from sceptics in his own party for a referendum.
The poll is not expected to take place until next year.
