Czech Pres: Lisbon is Dead "Victory of Freedom and Reason"

[YesSireeeBob]

[quote]
PRAGUE (Reuters) -
Czech President Vaclav Klaus said on Friday that ratification of the European Union's Lisbon treaty could not continue after it was rejected by Irish voters.

The reform treaty has hit a potential stumbling block in the Czech Republic, where the upper house of parliament has asked the constitutional court to judge whether the charter is compatible with the country's constitution.

The Irish rejection is a huge setback to the treaty, which must be ratified by all 27 EU member states to come into force.

"The Lisbon treaty project ended today with the decision of the Irish voters and its ratification cannot be continued," Klaus, a eurosceptic long opposed to deeper European integration, said in a statement.

"The result is hopefully a clear message to everybody. It is a victory of freedom and reason over artificial elitist projects and European bureaucracy."

Klaus's position is mostly ceremonial but his duties include signing treaties ratified by parliament. The Czech Republic, which joined the EU in 2004, will hold the bloc's rotating presidency in the first half of next year.

Speaking to Reuters before Klaus's statement, Deputy Prime Minister Alexandr Vondra said the court would continue its assessment of the treaty. A ruling is expected in the autumn.

"The process is continuing here, I expect the constitutional court will not put its consideration on ice but will make a resolution," Vondra said in a brief telephone interview.

Asked if ratification could proceed if cleared by the constitutional court, given the Irish rejection, Vondra said:
"Of course it can. But I think it does not make sense to make any conclusions now, we will see."

[FutureTaoiseach]

Fingers crossed. I'm not sure whether the presidential veto applies to EU treaties.

[Oblivion]

Anyone who really thinks that Lisbon is now dead, is seriously underestimating the "creativity" of the Eurocrats. These people have been working on this un-democratic scam for the past 8 years. They aren't going to let something as trivial and insignificant as the wishes of voters stand in their way.

They will now put the pedal-to-the-metal to force this thing through as quickly as possible, before hardened opposition can sweep across the rest of Europe. This is nothing but a temporary "blip" on the path to a federal superstate.

If necessary, they'll go ahead with the other 26 and make an "example" of Ireland by excluding her from the Lisbon cartel. We must remember that we have just caused an historic upset - this was never supposed to happen. These scheming b*stards will now try to humiliate Ireland into capitulation.