The European Union's executive commission welcomed Thursday Italy's ratification of the new EU constitution as a "good sign" for the charter threatened by rejection in France.

Spokeswoman Francoise Le Bail stressed "the satisfaction of the European Commission on the vote that took place in the Italian Senate yesterday (Wednesday)."

Italy ratified the European Union's constitution Wednesday, becoming the first large country in the 25-nation bloc to do so.

The text, approved by parliament's lower Chamber of Deputies in January, was passed in the Senate by 217 votes to 16.

"The vote seems particularly important to us because, on one hand, Italy is the first founding country (of European unification) to ratify the constitution, and on the other hand, the vote was made by a huge majority," she said.

"This vote seems to us to be a very good sign and the commission clearly welcomes this ratification", she said.

The constitution is meant to streamline decision-making in the expanding bloc by creating posts of president and foreign-minister and adapting voting procedures.

It must first be approved by all 25 members, but it faces a rejection France where opinion polss suggest a majority will vote "non" in a referendum.

About half of the member states will hold a popular vote on the treaty while the others must ratify it in parliament.

Until now, only three other countries have approved the document: Lithuania, Hungary and Slovenia.

On February 20, Spain overwhelmingly approved the text the first time it was put to a popular vote, with the parliament set to rubber-stamp it.