Schwarzenberg: Lisbon ratification process should not come to halt

The Czech foreign minister, Karel Schwarzenberg, says Ireland’s no to the Lisbon Treaty does not mean the ratification process should come to a halt. Speaking after a meeting of EU foreign ministers, he said, however, that the Czech Republic would have to wait for a ruling from the Constitutional Court; it is due to say in the autumn whether the document reforming the structure of the European Union is in line with the Czech constitution. Minister Schwarzenberg’s position contrasts with that of the Czech prime minister, Mirek Topolánek; he told reporters he believed the ratification process in its current form was over.

The most vocal Czech opponent of continuing the ratification process is the Euro-sceptic president, Václav Klaus. He said Ireland’s no vote was a victory for freedom and reason, and thanked Irish voters for putting a brake on what he called top-down centralisation.

Author: Ian Willoughby