Czech court spikes secondary EU treaty challenge

Oct 6, 2009, 14:08 GMT

Prague - The Czech Republic's Constitutional Court said Tuesday it threw out a challenge against a law related to the European Union's reform treaty, lifting a secondary hurdle to the pact's Czech ratification.

The court struck down a complaint submitted by a group of Eurosceptic senators against an amendment of parliament's rules of procedure. Under the law, the parliament's two houses are required to approve any potential shift of national competences to Brussels.

The so-called Lisbon Treaty, which aims to boost EU's global role through streamlining its decision-making, must be ratified by all 27 member states to enter into force.

After the Irish cleared the pact in Friday's repeat referendum, it awaits signatures by Czech and Polish presidents.

Czech President Vaclav Klaus, a vocal opponent of the pact, is not allowed to ratify it until the top court rules on senators' chief complaint attacking the treaty itself.

The first hearing on the challenge, lodged with the court on September 29, may take place by the end of October, court chairman Pavel Rychetsky told Radio Cesko.

Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer welcomed the court's Tuesday decision, saying that it 'clears the way towards completing the ratification process of the Lisbon Treaty'.

Fischer is due to hold talks on the charter's Czech ratification with his Swedish counterpart Fredrik Reinfeldt, whose country currently chairs the EU, and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso in Brussels on Wednesday.

The EU hopes the treaty would come to force on January 1.