Prague - The European Union's stalled reform pact, the
Lisbon Treaty, cleared another hurdle in its lengthy ratification in
the Czech Republic Wednesday but faced further obstacles.
The parliament's upper house approved the treaty 54-20, with six
votes to spare. Three-fifths of senators present, or 48 from the 79
in attendance, were needed for the treaty to pass. Five abstained and
two were not present.
While the bicameral Czech parliament finished voting on the
accord, the ratification requires the signature by President Vaclav
Klaus, a treaty opponent who has no deadline to ink the document.
'I expect further obstructions...under the thumb of Vaclav Klaus,'
said outgoing Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, a reluctant treaty
backer, for whom the vote amounted to a triumphant farewell two days
before his cabinet's departure.
The process is likely to be further dragged out by the eurosceptic
president's followers in the Senate who plan to have the pact
reviewed for the second time in the Constitutional Court. The
anti-Lisbon senators need to collect 17 signatures to initiate the
probe.
Klaus said that if they succeed he would not make up his mind
before the court's ruling. He also hinted that he would not sign the
pact before Ireland reverses its rejection of the treaty in a June
2008 referendum.
'The Lisbon Treaty is dead for the moment. It is dead because one
member state of the European Union turned it down in a referendum,'
Klaus told reporters after the vote. 'Therefore, my decision on its
ratification is not on the agenda for the time being.'
While the president expressed disappointment with the senators who
had backed the accord, its supporters saw the vote as a rescue for
the Czech Republic's reputation, tarnished by a government collapse
midway through the country's EU presidency ending June 30.
'It is a great day for the Czech Republic, for its standing and
influence in the European Union and in the world,' said outgoing
Vice-Premier for European Affairs Alexandr Vondra.
The head of the EU's executive, European Commission President Jose
Manuel Barroso, also hailed the long-awaited approval. 'This vote
reflects the Czech Republic's commitment to a more democratic,
accountable, effective and coherent EU,' he said in a statement.
Despite progress in the Czech Republic, the treaty remains in
limbo owing to the Irish rejection. The EU hopes that a fresh
referendum in the autumn will bring it back to life.
If adopted by all EU members, the pact would allow the 27-member
bloc to reform its institutions with the aim of streamlining
decision-making and boosting its global standing.
The accord would replace the EU's rotating presidency with an
elected president, create the post of a de-facto foreign minister,
strip member states of veto rights in most fields and make the EU's
Charter of Fundamental Rights legally binding for the members.
Aside from in the Czech Republic and Ireland, the ratification has
not been completed in Germany and Poland, whose presidents are yet to
sign the charter.
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