The Estonian parliament has postponed ratification of the EU constitution until the autumn, officials said Friday, but denied the delay was influenced by the French and Dutch rejection of the text.

"Ratification cannot take place before the autumn as we need to give more time to the group of experts who are analysing whether the Estonian constitution needs to be changed to allow parliament to approve the EU constitution," the head of the Estonian parliaments constitutional affairs committee said.

"The parliaments constitutional affairs committee took the decision in the interests of clarity regarding the legal side of the ratification. We were not so much influenced by events in other countries," Urmas Reinsalu told AFP.

Voters in France and the Netherlands overwhelmingly rejected the EU constitution earlier this week in referendums, while the parliament in Estonia's Baltic neighbour Latvia ratified the text.

Reinsalu denied his committees ruling was taken so as to take time off until EU leaders discuss how to proceed after the two "no" results of the past week. EU leaders are expected to devote much of their June summit meeting in Luxembourg to the issue of the constitution.

"It would be wrong to have other countries dictate the speed with which we ratify the EU constitution," he said.

"There is a temptation by some politicians in Estonia and in other EU member states to grow hysterical over the two rejections," Reinsalu said.

"But we should remember that 10 countries have approved the treaty, and more yes results are on the way."

For the most part, Estonian lawmakers are in favour of the EU constitution, he said.