Community | November 03, 2009 | 5 comments

Czech Court Backs New E.U. Treaty

source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/04/world/europe/04europe.html

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PRAGUE — The Czech Republic’s Constitutional Court ruled Tuesday that the European Union’s landmark Lisbon Treaty was compatible with the country’s constitution, removing the last hurdle for President Vaclav Klaus to sign the document.

Mr. Klaus, a vociferous critic of the treaty and of the European Union in general, was the last holdout on the document, which is meant to streamline decision-making and must be ratified by all 27 member states to come into effect. He had insisted that he could not endorse the treaty until the court delivered its verdict. Both houses of the Czech Parliament have endorsed the document, but it cannot come into law until Mr. Klaus signs it.

The treaty’s supporters argue the treaty will raise the bloc’s stature on the international stage, but its detractors counter that it will centralize power in Brussels and create a European superstate.

José Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission, welcomed Tuesday’s ruling and said that it paved the way for the treaty to come into effect.

“Together with the commitments given by all member states to the Czech government at the European Council last week,” he said in a statement, “I believe that no further unnecessary delays should prevent the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty.”

Analysts said it remained unclear whether Mr. Klaus was ready to sign. Last week, European leaders agreed to his last-minute demand to opt out from the treaty’s Charter of Fundamental Rights, which he had argued could lead to a flood of property claims by Germans expelled from the country after World War II.

Mr. Klaus welcomed the agreement and indicated he would not make further demands, but he did not say when and if he would sign the document. On Wednesday, he will travel to the United States for a four-day trip during which he will meet Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and deliver a speech on climate change. Some Czech supporters of the treaty fear he will use the trip as another delaying tactic.

Senior European officials said they were encouraged by Mr. Klaus’s more conciliatory attitude in recent days and were optimistic that he would sign the document.

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http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/04/world/europe/04europe.html
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