Václav Klaus tries to delay Lisbon ratification

EuropeanVoice reports that Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt is keen to have the Lisbon Treaty ratified by all countries before the end of his EU Presidency. But the Czechs are keen to delay it, hoping that the Irish will vote No before the the treaty comes into force.

The treaty cannot come into force before:

• Ireland votes Yes in its October 2nd referendum,
• Germany passes a law on the role of the German parliament in the EU
• The Poles and Czechs ratify the treaty.
  

But EU officials are worried that Klaus could delay signing the treaty into Czech law beyond October. 17 senators who support Klaus are planning to refer the Lisbon treaty to the country's constitutional court at the start of August. This will be the second time the Constitutional Court has been approached to advise on whether the treaty complies with the Czech constitution. The Czechs would be unable to ratify the treaty until the court had given it the all clear.