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Will he sign or won’t he – and what’s to be done if he doesn’t – that is the question politicians across Europe are asking themselves. President Klaus is keeping everyone in suspense, but political analyst Jiří Pehe thinks the Eurosceptic Czech president will soon have to concede defeat.

The eyes of Europe are on Czech President Václav Klaus – a fierce Eurosceptic who now holds the key to the ratification of the Lisbon treaty. After the Irish “yes” to Lisbon on Friday, the Czech Republic and Poland are the only remaining EU countries not to have ratified the EU’s reform document. The Polish head of state is expected to sign it in a matter of days, but Mr Klaus has shown no intention of breathing life into the document he’s so vigorously opposed to. On Saturday, a group of Euro-sceptics marched to his seat at Prague Castle with

The President of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek is expected to visit Prague on Friday October 9. He is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Jan Fischer and the chairman of the lower house Miloslav Vlček to discuss the ratification of the Lisbon treaty. It is not yet clear if he will be meeting with President Václav Klaus. Mr. Buzek said this week he did not think it right to exert pressure on the Czech president in this respect. The ratification of the treaty is a democratic procedure in every member state and the Czechs have every right to take their time, Mr. Buzek said.

Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, whose country currently holds the rotating EU presidency, welcomed the outcome of the Irish referendum as “a good day for Europe” and said he wanted to meet with Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer and EC chief Jose Manuel Barosso to discuss the way forward on Lisbon. Meanwhile, Mr. Barosso called for patience saying that the EU must respect the ongoing constitutional procedures in the Czech Republic and expressing the belief that as soon as the Constitutional Court delivered a verdict President Klaus would conclude the treaty’s ratification.

The Office of the Government has released a statement saying that every effort would be made to conclude the ratification of the Lisbon treaty as soon as possible. "The Prime Minister is convinced that ratification will be completed in a way that the Lisbon Treaty can take effect by the end of 2009," the statement said.

The Czech Republic’s European commissioner Vladimír Špidla has said that Czech President Václav Klaus has ignored his constitutional duty regarding the signing of the Lisbon treaty. In an interview for the ČTK news agency on Friday, Mr Špidla suggested that the document should already have been signed, given it has been approved by both houses of Parliament. Mr Klaus, a well-known eurosceptic, has made no secret of his opposition to the treaty; he is now waiting now for a Constitutional court ruling - as well as for the outcome of the Irish referendum - before taking any next steps. In his interview for ČTK, the EU commissioner Vladimír Špidla called the country’s delay “incomprehensible”. He also said that a group of senators who came forward with a recent constitutional complaint appeared to be purposely postponing the ratification process. The Lisbon treaty has to be approved by all 27 EU states to come into effect.

Prime Minister Jan Fischer has said that the government should select its candidate as new EU Commissioner by October 20. Mr Fischer was speaking after meeting with the Christian Democrats’ nominee, Pavel Svoboda. Czech political parties are currently advancing different names to fill the plum position. The Social Democrats want current commissioner and former prime minister Vladimír Špidla to stay on in the post. The Civic Democrats have voiced support for former European Affairs minister Alexandr Vondra. But Fischer insisted that it was the government’s job to make the selection.

The Czech Constitutional Court will start dealing with a new complaint against the Lisbon Treaty within a month, court chairman Pavel Rychetsky said on Thursday. The complaint, lodged on Tuesday by a group of right-wing senators, is being followed for its impact on delaying ratification of the EU-reforming treaty or even sinking it altogether. Czech President Václav Klaus has said he will not sign the treaty until the court has handled the latest complaint. That has sparked speculation that the Czech court procedure could last until British elections next spring. The leader of the opposition Conservatives has promised a referendum on Lisbon if it still has not been ratified by all EU states.

In related news, Václav Havel has warned against the rise of authoritarian regimes in Eastern Europe. In an interview for the German weekly Die Zeit that will appear on Thursday, Mr Havel also criticized Russia over the killings of independent journalists.

Reflecting on the two decades since the fall of communism, Mr Havel noted that all the fundamental objectives set down in 1989 were reached. However, the changes took much longer and were much more difficult than he expected, the former Czech president added.

A group of right-wing Czech senators have filed a new complaint against the Lisbon treaty with the country’s Constitutional Court. The complaint looks set to further delay Lisbon ratification, and may leave the Czechs the last in Europe to approve the document. With eurosceptic President Václav Klaus threatening to hold up Lisbon ratification for as long as possible, there has been speculation that MPs may turn to the courts themselves in a bid to force his hand.