Interim Czech PM, not Klaus, to chair Brussels summit of EU leaders in June

A key European Union summit in Brussels next month will be chaired by the prime minister of the Czech Republic, Jan Fischer, not the country’s Eurosceptic president, Václav Klaus. The two men reached agreement on the matter in a meeting at Prague Castle, quashing fears in Brussels that Mr Klaus would helm June’s gathering of EU leaders. One of the main items on the agenda will be completing ratification of the Lisbon treaty, a document to which the Czech president is firmly opposed.

The question of who would chair the summit arose after the Czech government collapsed half-way through its presidency of the EU.

Author: Ian Willoughby