EU treaty could be ratified by the end of 2008

Czech Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Alexander Vondra has rejected claims that the ruling Civic Democratic Party would try to delay the ratification of the European treaty for as long as possible in the hope that some other state would be the first to reject it. Speaking in a televised debate on Sunday, Mr. Vondra said his party had no such intentions and predicted that the new EU treaty could be ratified by Parliament within a matter of months – most likely by the end of the year. A number of senators and deputies for the Civic Democratic Party have criticized the treaty and said they would file a complaint with the Constitutional Court on the grounds that it was in violation of the Czech Constitution.