Klaus: EU fiscal pact tramples on national sovereignty

In an interview for Czech daily Právo, Czech President Václav Klaus has reiterated his opposition to the EU’s fiscal union, saying the current proposal “tramples on the sovereignty of individual countries”. He pointed to the views of some German politicians who favoured Greece handing control of its budget policy to a special EU commissioner, as proof. Such a solution, however, has been rejected by the European Commission.

In the interview, Mr Klaus praised Prime Minister Petr Nečas for not agreeing to join the EU fiscal treaty; the Czech Republic was the only EU member that decided not to join the compact on Monday, after Britain rejected it last December. The decision not to sign has led to a quarrel between the prime minister and country’s Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg. Mr Schwarzenberg has maintained that the Czech refusal to sign on to the EU fiscal treaty will only hurt the country’s interests.

Author: Jan Velinger