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Constitutional Court gives green light to vote on Lisbon ratification

The Czech Constitutional Court has ruled that the European Union’s Lisbon treaty is in line with the Czech constitution, paving the way for the country’s parliament to vote on ratifying the document. The court had considered the constitutionality of the EU’s reform treaty at the request of the Senate. The Czech foreign minister, Karel Schwarzenberg, welcomed the verdict, saying it was good news for the Czechs and good news for the whole of Europe. The zech prime minister, Mirek Topolánek, said he expected debate on the subject to continue. As for when the Czech Parliament will vote on ratifying Lisbon, the prime minister said the date was in the hands of parliamentary committees. Previously he had said the vote would be held in the first three months of next year, though there have been suggestions it could be held by the end of this year – that is, before the Czech presidency of the EU begins on January 1. The Green Party have called for a special session of Parliament so a vote on ratification can be held as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile, it is possible legislators could send the Lisbon treaty to the Constitutional Court for consideration again. The court was asked to examine six articles of Lisbon and did so – it could in theory now be asked to look at other parts of the document.

Klaus expects some lawmakers to send Lisbon treaty back to Constitutional Court

Speaking after the verdict, the Czech president, Václav Klaus said he expected some lawmakers would send the document to the Constitutional Court again. Mr Klaus, a fierce critic of further European integration, described the court’s ruling as to a great extent political, and not purely legal. He also suggested the outcome had been decided before the session that concluded on Wednesday morning.

Earlier this week Mr Klaus indicated he would not sign the Treaty of Lisbon unless it was ratified by Ireland. The Irish voted no to the document in a referendum in June and it is unclear how the country will proceed. Without the ratification of all 27 members, Lisbon cannot come into effect.

Government prepares plan of action in case GDP growth falls below 2 percent next year

The Czech government is preparing a plan of action to be implemented if economic growth slows to below 2 percent next year, the minister of finance, Miroslav Kalousek, said on Wednesday. Speaking after a meeting of the Chamber of Deputies’ budget committee, the minister refused to reveal any details of the plan, saying he did not want to create “virtual reality”. On Tuesday the International Monetary Fund warned that GDP growth in the Czech Republic could fall below 2 percent in 2009. The European Commission’s estimate is that it will slow to 3.6 percent. The Czech economy saw record growth of over 6.5 percent in both 2006 and 2007.

Sobotka re-elected chairman at first Senate session since October elections to one third of seats

The Czech Senate has held its first meeting since elections to decide on a third of its seats in October. All 27 new senators made a pledge of allegiance at the beginning of Wednesday’s session. Přemysl Sobotka of the Civic Democrats was re-elected chairman; he was the only candidate for the post. The Civic Democrats have 36 seats in the 81-seat chamber, followed by the Social Democrats with 29.

Vietnamese stallholder gets 12 years for attempted murder of customs officer

A Vietnamese stallholder has been found guilty of attempting to murder a customs officer. A court in Plzeň handed down a 12-year-sentence to Minh Chien Toa, 40, for stabbing and kicking in the face a customs officer who attempted to search his stall near Cheb in west Bohemia. The man will be expelled from the Czech Republic after serving his sentence.

Cannes winner The Class closes Prague leg of French Film Festival

The film The Class (Entre les murs), which took the top prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, closes the Prague section of the Czech Republic’s annual French film festival on Wednesday night. The screening is due to be attended by the picture’s director Laurent Cantet and three of its young stars.

Farmers planning protests over low milk prices

Czech farmers are planning to protest in January against the low purchase price of milk, the country’s agrarian chamber said on Wednesday. Milk producers will hold demonstrations at both supermarkets and dairies, the chamber’s president Jan Veleba said, adding that they may even blockade such facilities. Mr Veleba said producing milk had become unprofitable and the current low prices could lead to the liquidation of some livestock.

Czech Post brings out stamp to mark first EU presidency

Czech Post has brought out a new stamp marking the first Czech presidency of the European Union, which begins on January 1. Over a million of the 17-crown stamps are to be produced. The country’s postal service has also produced a first day cover, which like the stamp itself is based on the visual designs prepared for the presidency.

Weather

We should see rather cloudy skies over the next few days, with temperatures of up to 3 degrees Celsius.