Czech republic

On 13 November in Rome, the Czechs finally ratified the Lisbon Treaty. The last member state to do so, this momentous event ended years of writing, revising, and ratifying. It also marked the beginning of any equally complex process of interpreting and implementing the treaty. The ratification process was not certainly not without controversy. The month before, the Irish approved the Lisbon Treaty. Ireland was the only member state to hold a referendum, and it even did so twice, when the first answer (‘no!’) was not what it was looking for. Euro-skeptic Czech President Klaus was determined to block ratification, and was supported by British opposition leader David Cameron, who apparently wrote him a letter of support, something along the lines of ‘keep resisting, we’ll join you soon’. But the pressure grew too much, and the treaty has finally been formally approved, and will come into force 1 December 2009.

Photo: Flickr, Storm Crypt

After Ireland’s positive referendum and Polands ratification of the Lisbon Treaty on 10 October, the Czech Republic is the only member state who has yet to sign the Treaty. Political pressure now lies on Czech Republic President Václav Klaus to ratify the Treaty as soon as the Czech Constitutional Court issues its judgement on the conformity of the Lisbon Treaty with the Czech Constitution. European Commission President Barroso and the Swedish Presidency apply pressure on Klaus to stick to his commitments towards the Czech Parliament and Senate which both adopted the Treaty as well as to the 26 other Member States whose national parliaments have ratified. Nevertheless, the main reference person for the EU remains Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer who now will have to exert pressure on his President in Prague, who has asked for additional footnotes to be applied to the Charter of Fundamental Rights attached to the Lisbon Treaty. Since the Czech Constitutional Court judgement is expected to be issued before the European Council on 29 and 30 October, all spotlights will be on the summit to find legal solutions. But here again, the Czech respresentative in Brussels will be Fischer.

Image: European Commission

On the 6th of May, after six hours of debate, the Czech Senate ratified the European Union’s Treaty of Lisbon. The approval was accepted with great relief by the 26 other Member States as well by the Republic itself. The President of the European Commission – Jose Manuel Barrosso- saluted the positive vote, regarding it as a reflection ‘of the Czech Republic’s commitment to a more democratic accountable, effective and coherent European Union’. It must be stressed that the voting outcome brings the Treaty one step closer to coming into force by the beginning of 2010. Nonetheless, the Czech President Vaclav Klaus, observes a strict denial in signing the Treaty.

Source: European Commission Audiovisual Service

On Tuesday evening the minority government in the Czech Republic was toppled by a vote of non-confidence. Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek will be forced to resign. He has already acknowledged that he will step down, though it is not yet clear when that will be. This domestic fallout has major implications for the rest of Europe as well, as the Czech Republic currently holds the rotating Presidency of the European Council. Topolanek has admitted that the Czechs will now find themselves in a weaker position in Europe, but the Commission has expressed confidence in the Czech Republic to carry out the full length of their Presidency, which will be handed over to Sweden in July. Nevertheless, the image of the EU as a legitimate actor will undoubtedly suffer, as it enters next week’s London G20 negotiations led by a country whose government has lost its legitimate mandate at home.

Image: www.flickr.com/ Downing Street

Belgium has just finalized the ratification of the Lisbon treaty after the text was approved by the Parliaments in Flanders and Brussels. This is the 22nd ratification and it should be followed shortly by votes in Spain and Italy before the summer break. Sweden is set to ratify the treaty in the fall. The Czech republic however is waiting for a decision to be made by its constitutional court on whether a referendum should be held. The Czech president who has always shown little enthusiasm regarding the EU is capitalizing on the NO vote in Ireland. Speaking at the European Parliament this week, Nicolas Sarkozy whose country is presiding the EU for the coming six months said he hoped to find a solution for the Lisbon treaty by the end of the year. He is also getting a challenge from President Kaczynski who refuses to sign the treaty in spite of the positive vote of the Parliament. He argues that after the rejection of the treaty by the Irish, the question of whether he signs it has become irrelevant.