Czech court endorses Lisbon Treaty

Chairman of the Czech Constitutional Court Pavel Rychetsky reads a verdict during the closely followed session in the city of Brno November 3, 2009. The Czech Constitutional Court threw out a complaint against the EU's Lisbon treaty on Tuesday, removing the last obstacle to its ratification. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
The Czech Constitutional Court ruled Tuesday that the Lisbon Treaty did not contradict the Czech constitution, removing the last legal hurdle for the country's approval of the charter.

The treaty was" not in contrariety with the constitutional order of Czech Republic," Court Chairman Pavel Rychetsky said.

Czech President Vaclav Klaus, who has previously declined to sign the treaty, which is designed to change the workings of the European Union (EU), has promised to sign it without much delay.

Prague had been the last obstacle to the full ratification of the treaty, after it was approved by all other 26 EU nations.

Klaus, who likened the treaty and EU reform to "an unstoppable train," said he would sign it after an EU summit allowed an opt-out for the Czech Republic from the treaty's Charter of Fundamental Rights.

The Czech leader made the request over worries of property claims by ethnic Germans stripped of their land and expelled after World War II. EU leaders agreed to his demand last week.

Source: Xinhua