Czech president says he will wait to put signature to ratification if senators send Lisbon to court

The Czech president, Václav Klaus, now has to put his signature to ratification in order for it to come into effect. A group of euro-sceptic Civic Democrat senators have proposed sending the treaty to the Czech Constitutional Court; Mr Klaus said after Wednesday’s vote that if they do so, he will not put his signature to Lisbon until the court rules on whether the document is in line with the Czech constitution. A request last year from Civic Democrat senators for the court to consider the treaty put the matter on ice for some months and is one reason the Czech Republic is among the last states to deal with its ratification. President Klaus also said he would not sign ratification until Lisbon has been approved by Ireland. He reiterated his view that Ireland's no vote in a referendum last year rendered the treaty a dead document.