Tsjechië belooft Verdrag van Lissabon te ratificeren (en)
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek has said his government will seek to complete the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty if the country's constitutional court confirms the new EU rules do not contradict the Czech constitution.
Prague is one of seven European capitals where the bloc's reform treaty has not yet received a blessing from the national lawmakers, with the process currently on hold after the parliament's upper chamber sent it for a review by top judges in late April.
Speaking after the debate over Ireland's No to the Lisbon Treaty on the first night of the EU's top summit on Thursday (19 June), Mr Topolanek indicated that if the court's verdict - expected in the autumn - is positive, he would try to finalise the ratification process in his country.
"The Czech government did approve the treaty, I did sign it and I don't intend to withdraw my signature from it," said Mr Topolanek, adding that in case of a positive court verdict, he would try to convince colleagues from his party to accept such a procedure.
Still, he refused to comment on whether he would back a summit statement suggesting that ratification should continue in all the countries where it has not been completed yet, as advocated by the EU institutions.
He admitted that there is an internal debate in the Czech Republic and in his own party at the moment on whether Prague should continue through to completion of the process or wait until Dublin comes up with a solution.
However, Mr Topolanek also signalled that the EU has crucial deadlines ahead, such as new elections to the European Parliament and a decision over the new Commission, with substantial question marks over which rules should apply when they are set up.
He said Prague will probably lead the efforts to find a solution to the current institutional impasse in the first half of 2009 as the presidency country and adapt its priorities to fulfill that mission.
"The Irish No has the same value as the French No and Dutch No and nobody has any doubts about that, but we are now three years older and three years more tired. The debate on the institutional reform has exhausted us and we would like it to be over," said the Czech prime minister.