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Czech Republic PM resigns casting doubt on future of EU reform treaty

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] Czech Republic Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek formally resigned Thursday, casting doubt on the future of the European Union (EU) reform pact known as the Treaty of Lisbon. Deputy Prime Minister Alexandr Vondra said Wednesday that the recent collapse of the country's ruling coalition would likely "complicate" its ratification of the treaty. The coalition had been led by Topolanek, but the government on Tuesday lost a no-confidence vote in the country's parliament, leading to his Thursday resignation. There has also been speculation that the failure could cause other problems for the EU given the Czech Republic's presidency of the Union, but Topolanek said he doesn't expect the power change to affect the country's participation in the role. The Czech Senate had been expected to vote on the treaty next month, but it is not clear whether that timeline will now be met. The Czech Republic's Chamber of Deputies, or lower house of parliament, in February approved the Lisbon Treaty, but both the senate and President Vaclav Klaus must also approve the treaty for it to be adopted. Beyond challenges in the Czech Republic, the treaty still must pass a referendum in Ireland where voters had earlier rejected the treaty in a June 2008 referendum, prompting Polish President Lech Kaczynski to refuse to sign, calling it "pointless." In November, Sweden became the 24th EU state to ratify the charter. In 2005, a proposed European constitution failed when voters in France and the Netherlands rejected the proposal in national referenda.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on March 26, 2009 (boomark / email).