He invited Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, Deputy PM Alexandr Vondra (both Civic Democrats, ODS) and Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg (for the Greens) to the meeting. The meeting will be held at the presidential chateau in Lany, central Bohemia, where Klaus will be recovering from a recent hip surgery. It is to focus on the forthcoming Czech EU presidency, Czech ForMin yet to decide whether to resign over Cunek case ...
Czech president surprised at Britain continuing ratification ...
Czech Prime Minister meets Berlusconi during Italian holiday ... the Lisbon treaty and changes at the ambassadorial posts, Klaus said. He said the main theme of the meeting will be foreign political issues in general, but in addition he wants to discuss three "sub-themes" with Topolanek, Vondra and Schwarzenberg. One of them is the division of posts and powers during the Czech Republic's EU presidency in the first half of 2009. He said it is "absolutely evident that the Lisbon treaty will not take effect by then [January 2009 when Czech EU presidency starts]." He said the Czech leadership of the EU will thus become "normal, not weakened as would be the case if the Lisbon treaty were valid." The Lisbon treaty is to introduce EU's institutional reforms.
To take effect, it requires approval by all 27 member countries. The Czech Republic is waiting with the ratification procedure for the Constitutional Court to assess the treaty's compatibility with the Czech legal order. Ireland, the only country to hold a referendum on the Lisbon treaty, said "no" to it in June. In reaction to this Klaus has repeatedly said he considers the treaty dead and its further ratification meaningless.
(Ceske Noviny)
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