EU Summit

Uncertain times for Lisbon Treaty ratification process

Article published on the 2008-06-21 Latest update 2008-07-15 13:38 TU

French president Nicolas Sarkozy 20 June 2008, Brussels
(Photo: Reuters)

Topping the agenda of the European Council meeting of heads of state and government of the 27 EU member states in Brussels on Thursday and Friday was the future of the Lisbon Treaty.  The Council decided to plough on with the ratification process, but in the knowledge that there may be further obstacles on the way.

The Lisbon Treaty question only took up five out of 77 items in the concluding statement from the European Council on Friday, but it was the overriding item on the agenda of the two-day summit in Brussels.

The heads of state or government at the meeting agreed that the rejection of the treatly by Ireland in a referendum would be discussed at the next EU summit in October.

Nineteen countries have already ratified the Treaty in their parliaments.

President Nicolas Sarkozy, of France which assumes the European Union's rotating six-month presidency as of  1 July said that "Without the Lisbon Treaty, there will be no further enlargement."  Backed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Luxembourg prime minister Jean-Claude Juncker, they riled Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk who said, "The idea that the referendum in Ireland renders the European perspective for Croatia, Serbia or Ukraine impossible is unacceptable."

However, Ireland is not the only country which has concerns about the Lisbon Treaty. Parliamentary ratification in the Czech republic was suspended last April after the senate called on the Czech constitutional court to rule on whether the Lisbon treaty complied with the country's constitution. Czech President Vatslav Klaus says he is opposed to the treaty. Prague's prime minister Mirek Topolanek said he would not halt the ratification process in his country, but he says it's not certain that Czech parliamentarians will give the Lisbon Treaty the green-light.