Czech Court
Opens Hearings Into EU Treaty Case
The
Czech Constitutional Court has commenced hearings into a case
brought by 17 Euro sceptic senators who say the treaty would
create a super state, and as such infringes Czech sovereignty.
It has begun considering petitions on the treaty, which aims to
streamline the way the EU is run. It must be approved by all 27
member countries before it can become law.
The Czech Republic is the only country which has yet to sign.
The Czech parliament has already approved the treaty.
The 15-member Czech Constitutional Court panel has convened in
the city of Brno, to decide what could be the last legal
challenge to the EU's Lisbon Treaty.
The proviso
The Lisbon treaty is aimed at streamlining EU decision-making,
by creating new posts of EU president and High Representative
for Foreign Affairs and by approving decisions by majority vote,
rather than unanimity, among other provisions.
The treaty has been ratified by all member states except the
Czech Republic while only Ireland held a referendum on the
accord, which took a decade of negotiations and was intended to
take effect in January 2009.
More hurdles
The court challenge is one of two hurdles to be cleared before
Czech President Vaclav Klaus will sign the Lisbon Treaty.
A similar case has already been dismissed, but the president, a
Euro sceptic who strongly opposes the treaty, still has to sign
it to complete ratification.
He has said he will not do that unless provided with solid
guarantees about property rights in the Czech Republic, a
subject which will be addressed by a summit later this week in
Brussels.
The Lisbon Treaty is also under threat from the UK's
Conservative Party.
They say they will hold a referendum on the treaty if they form
a government next year, and if it is not signed into law by
then.
BBC/Yinka
