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Originally Posted by simon
Legally, the constitution can't enter into force unless all members agree.
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That's not totally true, that's probably what the British eurosceptics are going to say to their people (if you vote no, nothing will happen), but that's not true.
From the EU constitution itself:
"If, two years after the signature of the treaty amending the Treaty establishing the Constitution, four fifths of the Member States have ratified it and one or more Member States have encountered difficulties in proceeding with ratification, the matter shall be referred to the European Council."
In clear, if at least 20 member states have ratified the EU constitution, it will become effective for those member states. The others will have the choice between simple withdrawal from the EU, or a new "associate membership" which probably won't be much more than an EEA membership. This new "associate membership" is not mentioned anywhere but it is already discussed in the "corridors" of Brussels, this new status could also be ultimately the one proposed to Turkey, since nobody really believes that Turkey will ever vote yes to the EU constitution, and if countries like the UK, Denmark and Sweden have become associate members, Turkey won't be as offended by it as it would now.