Brussels in limbo over Klaus treaty delay - by Honor Mahony
The heads of the EU's three main institutions on Wednesday (7 September) came together to point out to Czech President Vaclav Klaus the "costs" to Europe if he continues to delay ratification of the Lisbon Treaty, the union's new rulebook. European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso, European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek and Fredrik Reinfeldt, the Swedish Prime Minister and the current chair of the EU, said several pending decisions are awaiting clarification from Prague. Chief among the issues hanging in the balance is whether the Swedish presidency will be able to press ahead with a planned summit on EU institutional affairs at the end of the month, where the names for the new president of the European Council, the EU foreign minister and commissioner portfolios are to be agreed. Mr Reinfeldt said it would be "wrong" to start consultations on these posts "without further clarification" from Prague, while Mr Buzek said there should be "clear information about how costly it is [the delay] for other member states."
The uncertainty stems from the fact that the Czech constitutional court is examining a legal challenge to the Lisbon Treaty, lodged by senators close to Mr Klaus. It is unclear how quickly the court will make its decision and, if the decision is positive, how much later Mr Klaus would then sign the treaty, completing ratification.
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