Czech delays leaves treaty in disarray

By Ann Cahill Europe Correspondent

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

THE fate of the Lisbon Treaty was thrown into further disarray yesterday as Czech President Vaclav Klaus indicated he would not guarantee to sign the treaty unless his latest demands were met in full, suggesting he wanted the treaty opened up and re-ratified in every member state.

EU leaders will not now appoint a new commission at their summit at the end of the month unless the Czechs finalise their ratification, sources said.

Other work such as the appointment of an EU president and a foreign relations chief will also be abandoned and hearings scheduled next month by the parliament of the new commissioners will also be off.

Instead, the leaders are likely to extend the life of the current commission for a few weeks and if Lisbon has still not come into force, to appoint a new college under the Nice rules. This would see at least one country losing its commissioner.

Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer met Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso in Brussels yesterday.

Afterwards Mr Barroso did not mince his words. "We expect the Czech Republic to honour the commitment it has taken. It is in the interests of nobody, least of all the interests of the Czech Republic, to delay matters further."

This story appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Wednesday, October 14, 2009