Hopes Czech leader coming around to treaty
It coincided with some positive signs that Czech President Vaclav Klaus is getting ready to sign. He is the only EU leader yet to sign it. Klaus wants an opt-out from the Charter of Fundamental Rights and his spokesperson said he had received a proposal on this from the Swedish EU presidency. It conformed to the president’s view but would require further work, he said.
But in an indication the deeply eurosceptic president has not given up hope of defeating the treaty, he sent further objections to the country’s constitutional court due to hear a case saying the treaty is contrary to the Czech constitution.
All eyes are now on the court that will hear the objections to the treaty from a group of senators and the president on Tuesday. Their judgment could come later next week.
But hopes were receding that the treaty would have cleared the final Czech hurdle in time for EU leaders to nominate new commissioners, a foreign affairs chief and to fill the new post of EU president when they meet on Thursday.
A Swedish presidency spokesperson said they did not expect to discuss names for the positions until the Czech court had ruled.
However, the opt-out is likely to be discussed at the summit if the Swedish presidency can get agreement on the wording from Klaus and all the other member states in the meantime. A number of different solutions have been proposed and it is understood that one is to add the name of the Czech republic to the clause stating that Britain and Poland have an opt out.
The phone lines to the EU’s capitals are likely to be busy over the weekend as diplomats make strenuous efforts to get agreement.
The Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer said he hoped it would be agreed, but added that the negotiations were not easy. His cabinet was working closely with Klaus, he said, and he believed they were close to a final version of the text, but did not give details.
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