EP president warns EU will not see further enlargement without Lisbon treaty

The president of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Poettering, has said the EU will not see further enlargement unless the Lisbon treaty is ratified. He made the statement in Prague on Friday after a meeting with representatives from France, the Czech Republic, Sweden and Spain (the four countries consecutively holding the EU presidency as of last year until 2010). Mr Poettering did allow that Croatia's admission could be an exception. He stressed that EU countries which failed to ratify the treaty would have to accept responsibility for preventing newer countries from becoming members. The Irish rejected the treaty in a referendum last June, while the Czech Republic, which currently holds the EU presidency, has not voted on the document yet. The lower house is to discuss the treaty during an extraordinary session next week.