Ratification

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Ratification is the process of adopting a constitution or other nationally binding document (such as an amendment to a constitution) by the agreement of multiple subnational entities. This process is most commonly observed in federations such as the United States or the European Union.

Different organizations have different rules for how a change is ratified. Federations usually require the support of both the federal government and a certain percentage of the subsidiary entities. Some ratification processes also require a super majority within legislatures.

Ratification of the United States Constitution

See: Constitution of the United States

Ratification of the European Union Treaty

In some parts of Europe, the Convention and its resulting constitution received little public attention until December 2003, when European heads of state met (14 December) to finalise the document. Elsewhere, the text was the subject of some controversy, during 2003 in the United Kingdom, where its opponents see it as the start of moves towards a federal European superstate. Several UK groups and political parties, including the official opposition Conservative Party, have demanded a national referendum on whether to ratify the treaty, calls that have so far been resisted by the Government.