Senate adjourns debate on Lisbon treaty

The Czech Senate has postponed a debate on the Lisbon treaty until April on the recommendation of its foreign affairs committee. The committee recommended that debate on the treaty be adjourned until the adoption of a mandate that would secure that not only the government but both houses of Parliament would have to approve any future transfers of power to Brussels. The lower house of Parliament has also twice postponed the treaty’s ratification and is due to re-open debate on it next Tuesday. Although the Czech Republic now presides over the European Union it is the only member state which has yet to vote on the Lisbon treaty.