Czech refusal on treaty hits unity hopes

The European Union’s efforts to limit the damage from Ireland’s rejection of the Treaty of Lisbon, 12 June 2008 ran into trouble at the European Council, Brussels, 19-12 June 2008 when the Czech Republic refused to give an explicit promise to approve the document and said it needed to await the view of its Constitutional Court expected in October 2008. British PM Gordon Brown also said that the United kingdom could not definitively ratify the Treaty until the High Court ruled on a legal challenge.

France, Germany and Luxembourg ruled out EU membership for applicant countries unless the Lisbon treaty came into force.

Deutsche Welle, 20.6.08: EU Puts Troubled Treaty on Hold as Fresh Problems Erupt http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3427373,00.html

BBC News, 20.6.08: Czech threat looms for EU treaty http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7465448.stm

Slovenia: EU Presidency: European Council, 19-20 June 2008, Presidency Conclusions http://www.consilium.europa.eu/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pressData/en/ec/101346.pdf

European Parliament: Press Release, 23.6.08: Address Irish concerns, says Constitutional Affairs Committee http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/expert/infopress_page/002-32420-175-06-26-901-20080623IPR32419-23-06-2008-2008-false/default_en.htm

EurActiv, 1.9.08: Czech Constitutional Court starts Lisbon Treaty scrutiny http://www.euractiv.com/en/future-eu/czech-constitutional-court-starts-lisbon-treaty-scrutiny/article-175020

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