Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker said on Friday he will step down if voters in his country say "no" to the European Union constitution in a July 10 referendum.

The most recent surveys show 46 per cent of voters in tiny Luxembourg say they will vote "yes," and 32 per cent plan to vote "no." Twenty-two per cent are undecided. No margin of error was available.

Juncker said he saw no way he could "defend Luxembourg's interests in Europe" if voters in Luxembourg -- a founding EU member that has long supported ever more European integration -- reject the proposed charter.

Juncker, a Christian Democrat, echoed the views of German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder -- whom he met on Thursday -- that the charter's ratification process must run its course.

Meanwhile, Portugal could scrap a referendum on the European Union constitution planned for October if EU leaders decide to stop the ratification process, Portuguese Foreign Minister Diogo Freitas do Amaral said.

A decision about a halt could come out of an EU summit in mid-June, he said in an interview with State television late on Thursday.

"It could happen that the 25 countries, sitting around the same table, by consensus, without imposition from anyone... can arrive at the conclusion that it's best to stop (the process)," FreitaSs do Amaral said.

The new Socialist government has said it plans to hold a referendum on the constitution in October to coincide with municipal elections.

Source: China Daily