Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen on Sunday reiterated his opposition to a national referendum on the proposed EU constitution.

"I don't believe that the Union's underlying character will change so much with this new (constitution) that a new referendum would be needed in Finland. It is the parliament's duty to treat the approval" of the constitution, Vanhanen said in an interview on Finnish radio station Radio 1.

The EU constitution must be ratified by all member states either through referendums or via simple vote in parliament by October 2006.

Some polls have suggested that a majority of Finns want a referendum on the issue. Britain and France, notably, have announced they will hold a popular vote.

Vanhanen did say however that he felt the question of whether neutral Finland should join NATO was one that should be dealt with via a referendum.