Thread: Czech threat to Lisbon treaty

Czech threat to Lisbon treaty

By Nikki Tait in Brussels

Published: March 25 2009 19:32 | Last updated: March 26 2009 00:12

Ratification of the European Union’s reform treaty could be made more difficult by the fall of the Czech government and its knock-on effect for the EU presidency, which is held by Prague, officials warned on Wednesday.

In Strasbourg, Alexandr Vondra, Czech deputy prime minister, said Prague’s ratification of the Lisbon treaty, which requires the approval of all 27 countries in the EU bloc, could be more problematic after Tuesday night’s vote of no confidence.

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Czechs 'have obligation' to pass Lisbon Treaty despite government's collapse

The Czech Republic has an "obligation" to ratify the European Union's Lisbon Treaty despite the collapse of its government, the European Commission president has said.

By Bruno Waterfield in Brussels
Last Updated: 6:48PM GMT 25 Mar 2009



European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso at a meeting on the financial crisis in Brussels. Photo: REUTERS

José Manuel Barroso warned Czech politicians yesterday that the EU Treaty "should not be used as a weapon on domestic issues".

"The Czech Republic has signed the treaty and so the Czech Republic has an obligation to ratify. I really hope that this domestic, political development is not used as a way to put in question the treaty," he said.


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Mr Barroso's words are aimed at the Czech President, Vaclav Klaus, a staunch opponent of the Lisbon Treaty and a key figure in Tuesday's no confidence vote against the government led by the prime minister, Mirek Topolanek.

The fall of Mr Topolanek provides a political opportunity for President Klaus and means that Czech ratification of the Lisbon Treaty is now likely to come after Ireland's second referendum.

Alexandr Vondra, the Czech Deputy Prime Minister admitted that the political crisis could mean a bumpy ride for the EU Treaty.

"It will be a lot more difficult now to convince people to vote in favour," he said. "The current developments complicate the situation. It is not going to be easy."

Declan Ganley, leader of Libertas, a pan-European party campaigning against the Lisbon Treaty, said: "Mr Barroso, an unelected bureaucrat, is yet again attempting to bully another Member State into ratifying the anti-democratic Lisbon Treaty. It is the next step in his campaign to pressure the Irish people to change their democratic will."

Any question mark over or delay to Czech ratification could also jeopardise a second Irish referendum on the EU Treaty planned for October.

Officials and diplomats are keen to make sure that all EU countries have ratified the Lisbon Treaty as a way of pressurising the Irish to overturn their June 2008 No vote in a second referendum.

Michael Martin, the Irish foreign minister said: "That's a bit more complex than we would have anticipated."

Bernard Kouchner, the French foreign minister, also expressed fears over the Treaty's future.

"What has happened in Czech Republic again hurts any certainty that we will get the Lisbon treaty," he said.

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