The Czech Senate on Wednesday approved the Lisbon Treaty for EU institutional reform with a majority of votes after a six-hour heated debate. However, the treaty has yet to be ratified by President Vadav Klaus, its long-time staunch critic. Observers here believe this may well turn out to be a difficult process.
Klaus said on Wednesday that he would not sign the treaty in the foreseeable future and that he would wait to see if senators would challenge it again at the Constitutional Court. He would not take a stand before the court's verdict came out.
Under the country's law, the treaty has to be signed by the president before it comes into effect.
Czech is the last among 27 EU members to ratify the treaty in parliament. At Klaus' proposal, some Czech lawmakers took the treaty to the Constitutional Court, demanding that the court rule on whether the treaty was constitutional.
At the court's hearings, Klaus fiercely opposed the treaty, describing it as a violation of the Czech constitution. He said the treaty would allow EU to take control of its members and their people around and weaken Czech's international status by undermining its sovereignty.
After the court ruled that the treaty was not unconstitutional, Klaus criticized the ruling as a political decision, rather than a legal verdict. He insisted that he would not sign the treaty until it is approved in Ireland.
Irish voters rejected the treaty in a referendum in July, 2008 and a second referendum on the treaty is vigorously pushed by the parties concerned and is expected in October.
The Lisbon Treaty, signed by EU leaders in December 2007 to replace the failed EU Constitutional Treaty, is designed to ensure the effective operation of the EU and promote its integration process. It cannot go into effect until it has been approved by all 27 EU members.
On the issue of integration, Klaus is at odds with most EU politicians. He categorically criticized the bid for European unification as a tragic mistake, saying that integration would have negative impacts on economic growth of the EU countries, or would even leave them with serious political consequence.
Germany, France and other EU countries expressed deep regret over Ireland's veto of the treaty following Irish referendum last year. By contrast, Klaus called it a "victory of freedom and reason over artificial elitist projects and European bureaucracy."
He later sent messages of congratulation to Irish opponents to the treaty and had termed himself "EU dissident" ever since.
Now that the Czech Senate passed the treaty after the lower house endorsed it in February this year, it remains to be seen when President Klaus would sign it into law. As the treaty bears on EU's future development, many political figures inside and outside the country have urged Klaus to sign it as soon as possible. What Klaus would choose to do under mounting political pressure will be the focus of concern for the many.
Source: Xinhua
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