Related articles

President Klaus’ secretary Ladislav Jakl said in tv interviews on Sunday that members of the former centre-right coalition government knew about his reservations about the Lisbon Treaty and its Charter of Fundamental Rights. Mr Jakl said the reservations were pointed out to the government of former prime minister Mirek Topolánek but negotiations over changes to the treaty were blocked by Green Party government members Karel Schwarzenberg and Martin Bursík.

Former European Affairs minister Alexandr Vondra said on the same programmes that he heard of the president’s specific worries for the first time when they were raised on Friday. Leaders of the right of centre Civic Democrats have criticised President Klaus for not stating his objections earlier.

Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer has said the government is willing to discuss President Václav Klaus’ demand for an exemption from the EU’s reforming Lisbon Treaty. But he insisted the ratification process could not be reopened and the treaty should be signed by the end of the year.

The Czech President and opponent of further steps towards European integration called on Friday for the Czech Republic to be given guarantees that the treaty could not be used by Germans expelled from Czechoslovakia after WWII to reclaim their property.

Prime Minister Fischer said he did not share President Klaus’ fears about a threat to the so-called Beneš decrees ― which paved the way for the Sudeten Germans expulsion. He added that the government had not been consulted about the president’s last minute condition.

The Czech Republic is the last country to ratify the Lisbon Treaty after Polish President Lech Kaczynski went ahead with the step on Saturday. The treaty is due to take effect at the start of 2010 when all 27 EU states have completed ratification.

In other reactions, Civic Democrat leaders have suggested that President Klaus’ demands could be dealt with after the Lisbon Treaty comes into effect. The party said in a statement that the guarantees he is seeking could be given when an agreement is sealed with Croatia on its entry into the European Union. Such guarantees would have the character of a clarification of the treaty and not an amendment, which would require fresh clearance from national parliaments and heads of state. Clarifications were used to give the Irish guarantees about their tax system and neutrality.

Meanwhile, the Social Democrats said they had a certain understanding for President Klaus’ demands. But Christian Democrat leader Cyril Svoboda attacked his stand describing it as obstruction based on the opinion of one man which flew in the face of parliament’s wishes. The Greens have suggested that President Klaus had overstepped the mark and his removal should be considered.

Eurosceptic president Václav Klaus on Thursday threw another spanner in the works of the Lisbon treaty. During a telephone conversation with Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, whose country currently presides over the EU, the Czech president said that he would only sign the Lisbon treaty on two conditions – if the Czech Constitutional Court rejected a legal challenge to it and if the EU was prepared to add a footnote to the treaty pertaining to the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.

Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeld phone Czech President Václav Klaus on Thursday about ratification of the EU’s reforming Lisbon Treaty, the president’s spokesman said. The Swedish Prime Minister, whose country currently chairs the 27-strong EU, complained on Wednesday that President Klaus had not returned his calls. Mr Reinfeld described the talks as interesting and positive. According to the Reuters agency, President Klaus called for a footnote of around two sentences to be added to the Lisbon Treaty dealing with its charter of fundamental rights. Mr Reinfeld said that clarification was being sought what the Czech President wanted.

The eurosceptic Czech President along with his Polish counterpart have still not signed the treaty which should come into force at the beginning of 2010. Klaus is expected to be the last European head of state to do so after Polish President Lech Kaczynski said he would sign if the Irish voted in favour in a second referendum. They did so last Friday. The Czech President is now waiting for the Constitutional Court to give its verdict on a new complaint about Lisbon lodged by a group of right-wing Senators.

The Swedish Prime Minister and current EU President Fredrik Reinfeldt said Wednesday he wants the long-delayed Lisbon Treaty put into effect by the end of 2009, before the end of Sweden’s presidency. To this end, Mr Reinfeldt is expecting European Commissioner José Barroso and the Czech Prime Minister in Brussels for a discussion to prepare for all eventualities. Prime Minister Fischer’s plane however stayed grounded due to a technical problem and the leaders met via videoconference. Asked if he would be visiting Prague or inviting Czech President Klaus for discussion, Mr Reinfeldt said that the decision was currently in the hands of the Czech Constitutional Court, which he expected to rule on the matter in the next two to three weeks. The Constitutional Court’s review of a complaint regarding the treaty and President Klaus’s personal resistance to signing it into law are seen as the final obstacles to the application of the Lisbon reform treaty throughout Europe.

The European Commission has begun an investigation into the budget deficit in the Czech Republic and eight other EU states whose deficits have breeched the stipulated boundary of 3% of GDP. The Finance Ministry on Wednesday said the investigation was ‘nothing surprising,’ and has already proposed measures expected to reduce the deficit by roughly 2% of GDP. Originally anticipating a budget deficit of 3.9% for this year, the ministry is in fact faced with 5.5%, which threatens to climb to more than 7% for 2010 should Parliament fail to pass its budget proposal for next year. The Czech Republic could face fines if its public finances are not rectified.

The EU’s Lisbon treaty has inched a step closer towards ratification following a decision by the Czech Constitutional Court. On Tuesday, the court threw out a secondary challenge put forward by a group of eurosceptic senators. On the other hand, arguably more serious obstacles remain: a complaint on the document as a whole, as well as continued opposition by the country’s President Václav Klaus.

The Constitutional Court has rejected a complaint regarding the validity of an amendment which prevents the government from transferring national powers to the EU without the consent of Parliament. The amendment broadened support for the Lisbon treaty in the Czech lowers house and its abrogation would have placed another hurdle in the way of the treaty’s ratification. The court is still expected to rule on a complaint by 17 right-wing senators who have asked it to asses the treaty’s compatibility with Czech law.

Prime Minister Jan Fisher and the Minister for EU affairs Stefan Fulle have welcomed Tuesday’s verdict as another important step on the road to the treaty’s ratification. Mr. Fischer is expected to meet with Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt and EC chief Jose Manuel Barroso on Wednesday to discuss the way forward on Lisbon.

Jiří Obelfalzer, the author of both complaints against the Lisbon treaty, has described the Constitutional Court’s ruling as a blow to the country’s sovereignty. He said the petition against the amendment had been reasonable and had been aimed at safeguarding the country’s rights and interests. He refused to speculate as to the possible outcome of the second complaint against the treaty.