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March 12th, 2010

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Joining forces

Czech leaders aid in Brussels' attempt to rescue Lisbon Treaty despite domestic delays

By Ondřej Bouda
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
December 17th, 2008 issue

ISIFA

European leaders Nicolas Sarkozy, Angela Merkel and Mirek Topolánek advocated the Lisbon Treaty in Brussels Dec. 11-12.

The Lisbon Treaty’s path toward European Union–wide ratification appears bumpier than ever, despite EU officials’ utmost efforts to ensure the document’s survival.

In an attempt to address the concerns of Ireland, whose citizens rejected the treaty in a June referendum, European leaders including Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek and Deputy Prime Minister for EU Affairs Alexandr Vondra agreed to grant the country a series of concessions during a Dec. 11–12 EU summit in Brussels.

Aside from providing assurances that the Lisbon Treaty would not affect Irish neutrality, abortion or taxation — the three main areas of concern for the country’s voters — the European Council agreed to retain the current number of EU commissioners until 2014 in exchange for a second Irish referendum in autumn 2009.

The move provided ammunition for local Euroskeptics such as President Václav Klaus, who immediately speculated that even Brussels now considers the Lisbon Treaty a dead document due to its failure to obtain the required unanimous approval of EU countries. “Either all of it is valid or none of it is,” Klaus said while requesting a new round of ratification in all member countries.

Refuting Klaus’ criticism that the Dec. 11–12 Brussels decisions were arbitrary, local observers noted that the concessions were made by the European Council, which comprises the political heads of every member state. “There is no mythical Brussels creature, which makes decisions and forces them on member states,” said Charles University political analyst Tomáš Hubený.

In an effort to slough away bureaucracy, the Lisbon Treaty aims to reduce the European Commission by one-third, a provision Ireland fears would diminish the clout of smaller countries. To placate this concern without granting Ireland special privileges, the council ruled to keep the commission at its current size until 2014 if the Lisbon Treaty passes. The document’s principles would not be breached by this provision.

By agreeing to the Irish demand, however, the council risks breaching the currently valid Treaty of Nice. Approved ahead of the 2004 accession of 10 states including the Czech Republic, the treaty stipulates that the commission must have fewer members than the EU has states once its membership reaches 27, but does not specify any exact numbers.

One possible solution currently weighed by the EU involves the planned joining of Croatia, Hubený said. In its EU accession treaty, Croatia could give up its right to a commissioner for one term, thus adhering to the Treaty of Nice. “This solution is possible, but the time frame is uncertain because talks with Croatia might not be finished in time,” Hubený said.

Aside from Ireland, the other troublemaker in the Lisbon ratification process is the Czech Republic, which is the only member state that has not yet voted on the treaty. During the recent summit, Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek assured his colleagues in Brussels that the domestic process was moving forward without unnecessary delays.

However, the situation back in Prague is far from the idyllic picture that Topolánek painted. Both chambers of Parliament debated the treaty Dec. 9–10 but, due to a series of concerns voiced by the Civic Democratic Party (ODS), postponed the decision until early next year. In the lower house, MPs allied themselves with the Communists and threatened not to ratify the treaty if a vote was called immediately.

Officially, the ODS aims to ratify two treaties enabling the construction of a U.S. radar base in the Czech Republic before voting on the Lisbon Treaty. However, many ODS deputies have said they will not exchange the radar for Lisbon, Hubený said.

Taking their time

Despite initial threats, the ODS did not immediately block the Dec. 9 lower house session. Instead, after several hours of debate, party members suggested a break until Feb. 3, a proposal that passed smoothly due to the support of the opposition Social Democrats.

Despite previous threats to sink the government coalition if the Lisbon Treaty was not ratified as soon as possible, opposition leader Jiří Paroubek remained surprisingly calm about the postponement. “I hope the ODS will act responsibly and support the treaty when the final vote comes,” he said following the vote.

Hubený explained that Lisbon supporters are reluctant to speed up the ratification vote out of fear of the treaty’s possible rejection by legislators. Instead, they expect anti-Lisbon MPs to “see the light” during the Czech EU presidency, he said.

The situation in the Senate, where the radar treaties have already gained approval, initially appeared more the hopeful, leading Vondra to proclaim that he wished to start the Czech presidency with the Lisbon Treaty ratified in at least one chamber of Parliament.

But, Dec. 10, ODS senators voted to postpone ratification without setting an exact date when they would resume the debate. “Thanks to the Irish ‘no,’ we can take as much time as we want,” said ODS Senator Luděk Sefzig.

The key issue during the Senate debate became the absence of a pasarela, a so-called “bridging clause” that requires national governments to ask their parliament for permission if they wish to relegate more responsibilities to Brussels. “This is normal procedure in many other EU countries such as the UK, Netherlands and Finland,” Vondra explained.

Even though the objections raised by the Senate are valid, analysts wonder why they are being debated only now. “These could have been dealt with during the past eight months while the treaty was waiting at the Constitutional Court,” Hubený said.

Political analyst Jiří Pehe is much more critical of the parliamentary procrastination. “How can the Czech Republic lead the EU if it can’t even lead itself?” he said, before questioning why the governing ODS opposes a treaty negotiated and signed by its chairman and prime minister. “They keep citing national interests but completely lack a broader European view,” he said.

Ondřej Bouda can be reached at obouda@praguepost.com

Reader's comments:

add your comment

[22:22 21/12/2008] : Dear Sir,
I find this article objectionable and disingenuous in the way it presents as fact, the following sentence.
? Aside from Ireland, the other troublemaker in the Lisbon ratification process is the Czech Republic, which is the only member state that has not yet voted on the treaty. ?
The U.K. for one has not voted on the Treaty, and the Government is not allowing U.K. Citizens to cast a vote on it.
I do not believe Ireland to be a troublemaker, on the contrary, Ireland has always shown a willingness to enthusiastically embrace the EU and the ideals set out therein.
As I live in Belfast and therefore hold dual nationality ( Irish and British ) , my only wish is that I held the same constitutional right in the U.K. as my fellow country men have In the Republic of Ireland.
Regards,
Desmond Quinn

Desmond Quinn
Belfast

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