Zolah
05-06-2009, 11:03 AM
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/czechrepublic/5286272/Czech-parliament-ratifies-Lisbon-Treaty.html
The Czech Republic has completed parliamentary ratification of the Lisbon European Union Treaty, leaving Ireland isolated ahead of its second referendum this autumn.
Czech senators removed the last barrier to the Lisbon Treaty, outside Ireland, by voting 54-20, with seven abstentions, to ratify the text derived from the old EU Constitution.
The Czechs have never been enthusiastic supporters of the Lisbon Treaty or its predecessor and the issue caused the collapse of the country's government in March, midway through its turn at the EU's rotating presidency.
"I do not accept the Lisbon Treaty with any great euphoria," said Mirek Topolanek, the Czech prime minister, who stands down on Thursday.
"But I take it as a price for membership in the club."
The only thing holding the Lisbon Treaty back at this moment is the libertarian president of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Klaus, who is also the current president of the EU.
The treaty now awaits signature by the country's President Vaclav Klaus who has led Czech opposition to ratification. He has refused to sign it until after a second Irish referendum.
"The Lisbon Treaty is dead for this moment. It is dead because it was rejected in a referendum in one member state," he said.
Parliamentary ratification has now been completed in all EU countries and awaited signatures from the Czech and Polish presidents are regarded as a formality as is a German court ruling on the treaty later this year.
[Ireland is expected to hold a second referendum in October in an attempt to overturn a rejection by Irish voters in June 2008.
Of course this is the result of a few dozen useless politicians in the Czech Republic, as the EU constitution rears its ugly head once again in complete disdain for the actual opinion of the majority of the European population who wish it would be buried (6 feet deep and covered in concrete preferably). But we still have to wait for the SECOND referendum in Ireland in October before this story is over - if it succeeds, it's goodbye to sovereignty, hello undemocratic authoritarian tyranny - if it fails, it will simply be repackaged and rammed down our throats yet again in a years time or so, as they've already done so about 5 times, each time the constitution's ideals has been rejected.
The Czech Republic has completed parliamentary ratification of the Lisbon European Union Treaty, leaving Ireland isolated ahead of its second referendum this autumn.
Czech senators removed the last barrier to the Lisbon Treaty, outside Ireland, by voting 54-20, with seven abstentions, to ratify the text derived from the old EU Constitution.
The Czechs have never been enthusiastic supporters of the Lisbon Treaty or its predecessor and the issue caused the collapse of the country's government in March, midway through its turn at the EU's rotating presidency.
"I do not accept the Lisbon Treaty with any great euphoria," said Mirek Topolanek, the Czech prime minister, who stands down on Thursday.
"But I take it as a price for membership in the club."
The only thing holding the Lisbon Treaty back at this moment is the libertarian president of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Klaus, who is also the current president of the EU.
The treaty now awaits signature by the country's President Vaclav Klaus who has led Czech opposition to ratification. He has refused to sign it until after a second Irish referendum.
"The Lisbon Treaty is dead for this moment. It is dead because it was rejected in a referendum in one member state," he said.
Parliamentary ratification has now been completed in all EU countries and awaited signatures from the Czech and Polish presidents are regarded as a formality as is a German court ruling on the treaty later this year.
[Ireland is expected to hold a second referendum in October in an attempt to overturn a rejection by Irish voters in June 2008.
Of course this is the result of a few dozen useless politicians in the Czech Republic, as the EU constitution rears its ugly head once again in complete disdain for the actual opinion of the majority of the European population who wish it would be buried (6 feet deep and covered in concrete preferably). But we still have to wait for the SECOND referendum in Ireland in October before this story is over - if it succeeds, it's goodbye to sovereignty, hello undemocratic authoritarian tyranny - if it fails, it will simply be repackaged and rammed down our throats yet again in a years time or so, as they've already done so about 5 times, each time the constitution's ideals has been rejected.